


Dead End

by Zhenya66



Series: Dead End Trilogy [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternative Univers, Blood, Character Relationships, Crime Solving, Criminal AU, Drama, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mystery, Saddness, Shooting, Slight Humor, character death in future chapters, mentions of drug use, non-explicit sexual situations, undercover investigations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-05-26 07:52:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 82,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6230014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhenya66/pseuds/Zhenya66
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Or maybe home is just two arms wrapped around you when you're at your worst?"</p><p>-When the corpse of an unidentified person pops up from the gravle of a closed down metro, sergeant Yaku Morisuke of the Nerima Police Department has to find his murderer. Add Haiba Lev, their investigation unit's newest reqruit, his growing feelings of love towards Yaku, secret relationships and a revenge conspiracy against one of his colleagues and we get a story with a surprising, chilling twist.</p><p>/A Criminal HQ AU fic, inspired by the books of Mariah Stewart and the movie "The Bone Collector"./</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Case

Yaku Morisuke stomped angrily in the office and crossed the large space towards his own little office in the corner with large strides. Matsukawa Issei, who was by then dozing off in his chair, in front of his messy desk in the main office, opened one eye to see Yaku storming into his office. He rarely wondered anymore what had gotten his boss this angry early in the mornings, passing it off in favor of continuing with his naps or the work he seldom had. The other three desks in the messy office were empty. A week ago, their squad had been assigned to a case, which had gotten pretty violent by the end of it and one of their colleagues, Bokuto Koutarou had gotten him self injured. It wasn’t anything bad, but he had taken a week off, and now his desk was left cold and dusty. They all expected him to get well enough soon and get back to work. Kuroo Tetsurou and Iwaizumi Hajime, the other two inhabitants of the office and fellow cops in the department, were currently out, dealing with some minor form of crime in the outer parts of town and Matsukawa was expecting them to come back in no more than an hour, hopefully with lunch.

 Yaku, the proclaimed leader of the department, had come in quite late and Matsukawa thought he was angry, because he had overslept. That wasn’t the case, as he learned later.

 The day was one of the many cold and cloudy ones, which were normal for the early days of October. There weren’t many people on the streets. The air felt heavy and wet. Small drops of water formed over the cold windows of the Nerima police station and gently rolled down, leaving sparkly streaks of moisture on their way. The heater in the Investigation Department, in which Matsukawa worked, was on since the early morning hours, but even so it couldn’t heat up the large office. Yaku’s office had its own little heater, but he hadn’t bothered to turn it on when entering. Instead, he sat down on the chair behind his desk, and spun around to face the window, trying desperately to calm him self.

 After thinking of a number between zero and hundred (seventy five) and taking a deep breath, Yaku felt him self relax back in his chair. The reason he had been fuming since morning wasn’t that he overslept, nor was it family related. As always, his problems came mostly from his work, which had lately started to become a problem, rather than a pleasure, as it was in the beginning. That very morning, Yaku had received a call from a superior of his, who stated rather obnoxiously, that he was going to enroll a new officer in his department. The whole problem came from Bokuto’s injuring a week ago, after which the squad was a man short. The superiors had decided that recruiting a man more was in order, even though Bokuto was expected at work on Monday. The reason he had been called while in his home was that he was expected to train the novice him self and supervise his work on any case they got assigned to in the close future. The newbie’s presence was expected tomorrow. As it seamed, he used to work for the department in Saitama, under the supervision of Ogano Daiki, with who Yaku had a conversation over the phone the same morning, and who couldn’t say anything much about this new recruit. He had worked with him ever since he was enrolled in the department, but his overall vision wasn’t as good, as it had to originally be. And that was Yaku’s problem, as it turned out, after he told his men that very afternoon.

 ---

 Another problem of Yaku’s became the fact that everyone else wasn’t at all fussed over the enrollment of the new recruit. They weren’t cheering either. Iwaizumi only asked trivial things, like the newbie’s name and statistics, while Kuroo and Matsukawa had no intention of turning the question into a problem. The only thing Kuroo asked was if they were going to keep Bokuto in the department and after he received a positive answer, he returned to his work. Everyone was more than stoic about this novice and that only bothered Yaku more.

 “You’re giving your self unneeded headaches, Yakkun.” Was the only thing Kuroo offhandedly said to him, before sitting heavily on his chair, “You’re going to get wrinkles before you reach the thirties.”

 “And that’ll make it even more difficult to get a girlfriend.” Added Matsukawa, sending one of his tired looking smiles from behind his desk, “Or a boyfriend either, you think men aren’t picky.”

 Yaku had only grumbled something under his nose, not really knowing how else to return Matsukawa’s remark, and locked him self in his office for the rest of the afternoon.

 The day had carried on with its horrible weather and when the work was finished, the boredom overtook the Investigation Department. Work had been getting a lot less and easy these past few months, the last time the department had faced any troubles being in the beginning of summer. After that case, the hardest job they had been given had to be the one resolving around the skirmish from last week, but even that wasn’t enough to keep the squad in shape. Even the youngsters from down the hall had it rougher and most of them were on patrol around the neighborhoods most of the day. Honestly speaking, if Yaku had known this job would become such a bother, he would have never left Kuroo bring him in the branch and the wide world of crime solving. It had all started pretty easy and promising, and due to Yaku’s mobility and sharp mind, promotion came quickly and naturally. Kuroo’s promotion came a bit later, with a request from their superiors on Yaku’s new desk and a grinning Tetsurou in front of him.

 “Guess who got a new partner, buddy.” He had said with a sly grin that sunny spring day and Yaku offered an unbelieving smile of his own and a light shake of his head in return.

 A month later, the current squad was formed, due to promotions and submitted resignations. Yaku was pretty much happy with the people he worked with and had no personal intentions of changing the way their work went, so a new recruit, who he would have to personally supervise, was more or less out of the question. He wasn’t bad at supervising the new blood in the department, but roughing youngsters into shape was Kuroo’s humble work and he really didn’t want to be a part of it. Their floor had a bunch of those young, daring people, who constantly needed to be supervised, but Yaku liked them, they had skill and common sense for the work, and after the things Ogano told him from Saitama, he was left wondering what kind of an idiot he had been assigned as a partner.

 As time was slipping gently from between his fingers, Yaku found him self thinking nonsense throughout his day. It wasn’t long before the clock on the peach wall of his office showed four, when the white door was slowly opened. Yaku twirled on his chair to face the door, where Kuroo stood, holding a few papers in hand.

 “We got called.” He simply stated, waving the stack of papers around. “Murder case, a body’s been found on the tracks of a closed down part of the train station.”

 “Give me the report, I’ll read it until you get back.” Yaku said, motioning to the papers.

 Kuroo grinned.

 “You’ll read them along the way. I’m not letting you sulk here all day. Come on, we’re taking Mattsun too.”

 Yaku stood up from his chair and circled the desk, heading towards the door.

 “Are there people at the scene already?” he asked, taking his jacket from the hanger beside the door.

 “A few patrols were called on the spot. Maybe the meds were called there too.”

 “We better hurry then.” Yaku said, exiting his office along with Kuroo. “I don’t know who’s there, but if there’s something that can ruin the whole scene, that’s the medical team and the uniform police.”

 After grabbing their jackets, the three investigators walked out of the department and after taking one of their police cars, headed towards the crime scene of their most resent case.

 ---

 Small raindrops padded down the roof of the car and its windows, as the windshield wipers worked slowly to wipe them away from the windscreen. Matsukawa yawned softly from the backseat, as Kuroo turned up the heater, driving carefully down the wet road. The rain would pick up in no time, as it turned out. From the seat beside Kuroo’s, Yaku leaned his head on his hand, his elbow resting on the spot below the window. He sighted deeply, looking at the road ahead of them.

 “I still can’t believe this partner business.” He grumbled for the umpteenth time since they left the department, making Kuroo sight, leaning back on his seat and gripping the wheel.

 “I told you, it isn’t anything serious. Stop dramatizing.” He said, not loosing sight of the road, “Plus, the kid can’t be that bad.”

 “It’s not that he might not be bad, it’s just that we have a bunch of kids on our floor that are starving for the promotion and have been working hard to get it for years.” Countered Yaku, “And now, some complete stranger, with no outstanding marks shows up and gets the job, just like that! Isn’t it a bit unfair?”

 “It’s not like the superiors won't see the others and their work.” Said Matsukawa from the back, “They won’t be far from promotion just because their recruiting someone already.”

 “No, that’s not Yakkun's problem!” started Kuroo, “He just doesn’t want to be a babysitter, yeah? Don’t worry your self, buddy, I’ll help you shape up the newbie.”

 “That’s not the problem either!” Yaku protested, but didn’t push the question further. He leaned against the window again with a huff, “You know what? I don’t even care anymore! It’s just work anyway.”

 Kuroo chuckled and threw Matsukawa a quick look, the other returning his grin and wiggling his heavy eyebrows Yaku’s way.

 When they reached the scene, a few patrol cars were already there. The entrance towards the metro was closed. Yellow police tape surrounded the restricted area. Thankfully, the policemen on the scene were all from the three investigators’ floor and they knew them personally. Yaku quickly recognized Hinata Shouyou, who was standing near his patrol car, waiting impatiently for someone to tell him what to do. He really didn’t look like someone, whose presence fit pretty well on a crime scene, but he was eager to do some kind of work none the less. Kids like him deserved promotion, Yaku thought.

 When they stopped the car near Hinata’s, the young policeman quickly turned his attention towards them. He stood at attention before his superiors, when the three got out of the car and started to walk towards him.

 “Are you waiting for us, or is there someone in the tunnel?” Kuroo asked, stopping in front of Hinata. The later shook his head and stood at ease again, hands coming to tug on the belt, which held up his blue pants.

 “The medical team just left with the victim!” he said loudly and clearly, looking back at the tunnel. “Inuoka and Shibayama are inside, looking for any other people and Fukunaga-san is talking with the possible witnesses. I really wanted to help too, but they told me to wait for you.”

 “You’ll give us your report later, tell the others to have their prepared to.” Nodded Yaku and turned towards Kuroo. “We should go inside, if there’s no one else to do work around here.”

 “Actually…” Hinata starts again, stopping the three before they could head towards the entrance of the metro. He didn't seam trilled to tell them what he has in mind. “Ukai-san from the department wants to talk to you. He called and told us to tell you that. He said he’ll be here soon, but he called an hour ago so…”

 “Ukai-san?” muttered Matsukawa, raising a brow and looking at his two colleagues. “The chief in command of the department?”

 “Is it something about the case? The report we got was pretty disturbing.” Kuroo said, looking at Hinata, who just shrugged. He suddenly looked a lot more determined.

 “If there’s anything I can help with, I don’t mind going with you!” he said in a loud voice, but Yaku simply shook his head.

 “You stay here and wait for Ukai-san. We’ll talk with Inuoka and Shibayama if we need anything.”

 Hinata looked saddened for a bit, but he didn’t protest. He gave a quick, albeit unneeded salute, and turned back to look at the street a few meters ahead. The three investigators continued to walk towards the entrance of the underground tunnel, moving under the yellow tape, before entering.

 The tunnel seamed long forgotten and deserted, the perfect place for a murderer to get rid of a victim. In the far corners and in the darkness, Yaku could faintly make out the bodies of a few rats. The rodents padded against the tunnel’s floor, observing the newcomers with their beady eyes. Yaku actually felt oddly uncomfortable with the thought he was being ogled at, as if he was a piece of meat. Matsukawa and Kuroo probably felt the same, but they didn’t particularly show it. The air in the tunnel felt heavy and Yaku could sense the faint smell of mold and, he wouldn’t lie if he said it, _blood_.

 A few feet away from them, near one of those yellow markers, stood Inuoka Sou. Another one of the nice boys from Yaku’s floor. He was just as determined as Hinata when it came to his work and it was a pleasure to have him around, if only for his company. Right now, the young policeman was looking around, pointing a flashlight over the ground and trying to find something else he could put a yellow marker beside. When he saw the three of them walk towards him, he quickly shone the flashlight at the concrete roof above, to get more light around.

 “I’m so glad you’re here, Yaku-san, Kuroo-san, Matsukawa-san,” he stammered, looking around cautiously. “This place gives me the chills, especially when I know what was under that rubble over there…”

 “It’s too bad the medical team left before we heard what they have to say.” Kuroo pointed out, looking over the marked places, “We have to wait until the report comes up.”

 “Are you sure all those markers are put around important places?” Matsukawa asked, looking at the rubble bellow his feet. “The have to point something important out, you know?”

 Inuoka nodded hurriedly.

 “Yuuki’s already taking the pictures, but he said he’ll look deeper into the tunnel.” He explained, pointing the flashlight towards his right, where the tunnel made a turn. “There were a few foot prints, but they weren’t very different. I couldn’t see any difference in the patterns of their soils, so I guess they must have been completely flat.”

 “Auch…Those shoes will be a hazard when winter comes…” Matsukawa muttered from his spot, near one of the marked foot prints.

 “And…what exactly happened with the body?” Yaku asked, walking slowly around the markers, expecting the ground and gravel. “Where was it found, what position? Do you know anything before the medical team came?”

 “Well…It was really horrifying, to say the least.” Inuoka scratches the back of his neck and Yaku can see the shudder which crawls up his skin at the memory. “It was buried in the gravel over here. Only one hand sticking out, there was a rat sniffing at it, but it ran away. Oh! I’m not sure if it’s important, but Yuuki found something a few feet from it, near the marker with number eight on it. It was a small paper. Yuuki put it in a plastic bag. Also, there was a bigger piece of paper a few meters away from it, something like a page of a book, but the letters are too smudged and the ends of it are too torn. We were scared to touch it much.”

 “Did you put it in a bag or left it there?” Kuroo asked, walking around the markers.

 “We left it there, by number seven. We didn’t want to touch it really. The paper looks way too thin and…We really didn’t want to touch it.”

 “You did well then.” Yaku mumbled and walked towards the marker with number seven on it, eager to look at the paper there.

 It was a thin and molded piece of yellowing paper, torn at the edges. The writings on it were smudged and barely readable. Yaku frowned, crouching down beside it.

 “Inuoka, can you give me a plastic bag and gloves?” he asked, reaching back, as Inuoka gave him the wanted supplies. Kuroo leaned down to pear over his shoulder, as he pulled on the plastic gloves and opened the bag.

 “Good thing you didn’t touch it.” He said offhandedly. “It would’ve torn.”

 Yaku gently took the piece of paper between his thumb and pointer, slowly putting in the bag, before zipping it closed and slipping off the uncomfortable gloves. He stood up and looked at Inuoka.

 “Is everything else packed?”

 “Everything’s with Yuuki.” The policeman nodded, just as Shibayama walked out from around the corner of the tunnel.

 The two policemen told the investigators everything they could and showed them the possible clues they had gathered from the scene, before they were dismissed. Not long after, the three investigators were the only ones in the tunnel. They grew silent, the only noise in the metro being that of the mice.

 “We’ll have to wait for the reports.” Matsukawa drawled, walking lazily around the yellow markers. “It’s really bad we didn’t come sooner.”

 “No one called us sooner.” Commented Kuroo. He leaned over one of the footprints on the gravel and dust, right between the set of train rails. It was merely an outline of a foot, no bigger than number 41, maybe just around 42. There wasn’t anything different to it and Kuroo had to agree with Matsukawa, that walking around the snow with such shoes would be suicidal.

 “I suggest we move out.” Said Yaku after a short silence, looking around the tunnel. “We can’t learn anything more from here. We’ll have to wait until the medical report is ready.”

 “Do you think someone might have seen our killer?” Kuroo asked, walking towards the exit. He spared one last glance towards the place, from which the body of the victim had been dug out. “This isn’t a very lively neighborhood, but if someone did…”

 Yaku shook his head, climbing back up, happy to take a deep breath of refreshing air. He felt more than glad to finally be out of the tunnel, full of rodents and deathly stench.

 “I doubt they’ll want to tell us anything even if they did.”

 When they crossed the yellow tape, the attention of the three was quickly attracted towards a familiar, stoic figure, standing beside Hinata and Inuoka near one of the cars. Yaku had known Ukai Ikkei ever since he became a rookie at the department. Under his supervision did he get the promotion and was now head of the Investigation Department. Now, the old man was near resignation, but there was a lot more power and fuel in those old bones to keep the good work up for at least a year more. Sometimes though, his way of work bothered Yaku and his, a lot more modern beliefs and methods. He had talked a lot about Ukai with Iwaizumi, who was the only person in the department who openly showed his detest towards him. Yaku couldn’t say he disliked his superior, but he didn’t look up to him either.

 “You could have waited until we came before sending the police and medics, Ukai-san.” Kuroo said, once they got the old officers attention.

 “I never gave permission for them to move the body, I guess they did it on their own accord.” Ukai answered, but the three could see how exceptionally pleased he was with the situation. “I came only to tell you that this appears to be a case of homicide and I would like to take better measures against the criminal responsible for it.”

 “I already received a call from Nekomata-san about the recruitment of a new officer in our department.” Yaku said, a hint of frown in his voice. “Is that part of these measures?”

 “That was merely done to up the work of the Investigation Department.” Ukai said with a short nod. “It would be good if you had more people.”

 “I’m not very pleased with this new recruit. I didn’t hear particularly good things from his previous superiors.” Yaku’s brows furrowed and Ukai again nodded.

 “I’m sorry about that, Yaku-kun, but it isn’t my job to hire the new recruits. The only thing I want is for the department to work like a nicely oiled machine.” Yaku nodded in understanding.

 “As for this case. I would be glad if you could wait before starting the new measures. We still haven’t gotten word from the coroner, not have we inspected the clues. I would appreciate it if you could have some patience.”

 “Patience is a virtue in our job, isn’t it?” Ukai laughed shortly, making Hinata cringe beside him. “I would like if you could be present on the meeting tomorrow afternoon, to discuss the case with the other part of the department.

 “You will have our report on your desk, right after we have inspected the clues and tried to identify the victim.”

 Ukai nodded.

 “I have complete fate in you, Yaku-kun, Kuroo-kun, Matsukawa-kun.” He turned towards the non-police car, parked on the street. “Keep the rookies in shape”

 ---

 By the time the three were back at the office, it was already five and the soft autumn rain had turned into a complete storm, which only lacked the presence of thunder. The reports didn’t came as fast as the investigators had originally thought, so they were now stuck with a bunch of pictures and plastic bags with objects, found near the victim’s body. The odd pieces of yellow paper were among them. Half an hour into their private investigation and Fukunaga Shouhei walked into their office, carrying his own report and some coffee for them. Another thing he had brought was the clothes of the victim, which had been send from the morgue. After they were left with everything assembled from the scene, the team started carefully unpacking and analyzing the given clues and pieces of clothing.

 The few blood stains, found over the tattered shirt of the victim, were already turning brown and the samples were definitely dirtied by the soil in the tunnel, therefore turning them down to the laboratory for further analyzing wasn’t needed. On the other hand, there was a possibility that some blood stains on the shirt and jeans belonged to the murderer. Yaku and the other hoped so, there for, with that in mind, they cut small spaces of the bloodied cotton and denim, from different parts of the clothing, and after packing them up and naming the samples, sent them down to the laboratory. Matsukawa was personally handed the responsibility.

 Matsukawa wasn’t normally the one for walks, but going to the laboratory of the department wasn’t something he didn’t like. If only because Hanamaki Takahiro worked there. And it was already a known fact throughout the building that both of them were dating. Their relationship was based on mutual feelings, trust and understanding, and despite working in the same building, only three floors separating them, they rarely met during work hours. Something told Matsukawa that with this new case on their desks, the rare, occasional conversations they had during lunch break or when they both wanted to drink coffee together would be cut to a minimum. He really hoped their time together out of work would keep the same schedule, though. With a job a lot more intense than Hanamaki’s, he was really protective of his free time.

 When Matsukawa walked down the stairs and into the laboratory, Hanamaki was daydreaming behind his desk, reading some of the boring magazines he kept at work for the exceptionally boring shifts. Once he sensed Matsukawa entering however, he left the magazine on the desk and looked up at him. His lips quickly quirked up into a smile.

 “What’s bringing you here, Mr. Detective?” he jokingly asked, and Matsukawa tapped his invisible hat for him.

 “I bring the fair maiden a gift.” He answered, throwing the packages with the bloodied clothes on the counter. “Homicide case, can you believe it? We still have no medical report, but there’s a chance the murderer left his blood somewhere on the clothes. We’ll bring you down a few other things for finger prints a bit later.”

 “You do know my shift ends at seven, right?” Hanamaki raised an almost nonexistent brow, “Don’t bomber me with work, you sloth.”

 “I’m just as tired as you.” Matsukawa whined, plopping down on the chair beside the desk to express his overly tired emotion. “But work’s work. You better be ready. Old Ukai’s taking drastic measures after tomorrow, so I’m guessing you’ll be going home alone till the end of the case.”

 Hanamaki made a huff of acknowledgement and took the packages from his desk, heading towards the back of the room, where the equipment was settled.

 “The life of being the lover of a detective is too stressing for me.” He said with a rather dramatic hand gesture, before taking a pair of latex gloves from one of the glass cabinets. “How long will this case take exactly? Is there going to be anything like last week?”

 “Doubtfully.”

 Matsukawa was certain Hanamaki was worried. If anything, compared to his job, his was more than peaceful. Having to stand in the laboratory till the end of his shift and filling out files about any recent case they could get. Matsukawa would trade with him in the blink of an eye, but that wasn’t an option. After the last week’s case, Hanamaki had gotten even more worried and even thought Matsukawa would normally make fun at his behavior, he knew he was right. Living in constant danger was something, which suited neither, especially after it was shown things could get a lot more heated. Hanamaki dreaded the day something would happen to Matsukawa, something far worse than the scrape Bokuto got. But they had to be responsible. Matsukawa couldn’t just quit because his boyfriend had irrational fears, and Hanamaki knew it. The only thing they had was their trust that no matter what, they’ll be able to go home together in the end of the day.

 Even though sometimes, without telling Matsukawa, Hanamaki feared the day he would be forced to go home alone and settle into that routine, rather than the one he already knew and loved.

 “You better get going, or else they’ll think you’re skipping again.” Hanamaki warned, heading back towards his desk.

 “I would rather do other things than skipping, if you know what I mean.” Replayed Matsukawa, standing up from the chair and leaning over the desk.

 “That’s still skipping.“ Hanamaki warned, with a smug grin of his own, “That’s really irresponsible of you, Mattsun.”

 “Says you.” Chuckled Matsukawa, leaning in to brush his nose against Hanamaki’s. “Who knows what kinds of things you do here, all alone…when your bored and missing me.”

 “Don’t go ahead of your self.” Hanamaki rolled his eyes and ducked his face away from Matsukawa’s, reaching in his desk for something Matsukawa couldn’t see. “You’ll pick me up at seven, right?”

 “Seven sharp.” Matsukawa promised and again tipped his invisible hat.

 “You won’t be late?”

 “Since when have I been late?”

 “Well, maybe every day since we started dating?”

 “You got me, Makki…Well…Maybe I won’t be late if you gave me more goodbye kisses?”

 “So my presence so close to you isn’t enough? You greedy bastard, Mattsun…”

 This time both of them leaned over the counter, lips meeting halfway. The kiss was gentle, slow and soft. A warm gesture they seldom shared. Sometimes they kissed like this when they got especially emotional after a movie or over a memory. Such kisses were reserved most of the time. But this kiss didn’t keep its gentleness for long, taking a lot more passionate turn after a few seconds. Matsukawa grabbed the hem of Hanamaki’s shirt and pulled him closer, while Hanamaki’s hands came up to loosely wrap around Matsukawa’s neck. They opened their lips, tongues lapping at each other feverishly.

 They pulled away panting, Hanamaki’s cheeks slightly reddened.

 “If you keep this up, I’ll jump over this desk.” Matsukawa warned with a lazy grin.

 “You started it, you droopy eyed idiot.” Hanamaki grinned, pushing Matsukawa away in favor of straightening his shirt. “You should get going now. I fear I won’t be able to keep my hands off you if you don’t.”

 “That only makes me stay more you know?”

 “Get going.”

 Matsukawa turned towards the door swiftly.

 “Well then, in that case, this droopy eyed idiot is going.” He said with mock insult in his voice, before heading towards the door.

 “This droopy eyed idiot better be here at seven sharp!” Hanamaki called from behind him, before turning back to his work with a light shake of his head and a soft grin over his face. At times like this, he felt like there was nothing to be worried about. If anything, he couldn’t wait till the end of their shift to go home and continue from where they left off. The perks of having a boyfriend policeman weren’t many, but the roleplay was definitely a kink they both enjoyed.

 ---

 The thin piece of paper hadn’t crumbled in Iwaizumi’s hands, but it did bend awkwardly, as he tried to set it down on the table. The words couldn’t be red and the three investigators believe that the book, from which the page had fallen from, had been reread over and over a lot of times and kept in a not very book friendly place. The ink on the page was now far too faded for the words to be red.

 “Turn it around.” Kuroo suggested, folding his arms over his chest.

 Iwaizumi did as he was told, gently turning the paper over. On the back of the page there was a faded drawing, but neither could visualize what it was supposed to be. The drawing was just as unreadable as the words on its back.

 “Do you think it could be a lead to something?” Iwaizumi asked, tilting his head and inspecting the drawing, as he leaned over the table.

 Yaku was the next to speak:

 “I have the feeling this might be one of those murderers, who leave the police messages and like reading about them selves in the newspapers.” He said with a grimace and couldn’t hold in the shudder, which crawled over his arms. He had never expected to have such a case on his personal record. “There is always the possibility of these things just being there and it isn’t necessary for them to be related to the criminal or victim in any way.”

 “How big is the chance?” Kuroo said, looking up at Yaku from across the table.

 “Perhaps minimal.” Yaku answered and sighted. “I need to read the reports before making any assumptions.”

 “I think it’s impossible for us to work with the evidence we have.” Iwaizumi grumbled, crossing his arms. “We’re just throwing unneeded resources and time. If anything we should wait for the reports to come in, or for the samples we sent down earlier to be analyzed.”

 “And what do we do until then?” Kuroo chimed in, “Go home?”

 “We should try and make out what we have on the picture here.” Yaku answered for Iwaizumi and gently took the piece of paper in his hand, lifting it in front of his face. “If anything, it might take us closer to the possible suspect.”

 “Luck with that…” Sighted Kuroo and walked closer to him. “Do you see anything at all? The contours are too pale.”

 “I actually think this here is wall.” Yaku said, running his finger lightly over the pale gray line. “Maybe it’s a room.”

 “It doesn’t look like a room…” Iwaizumi piped up, stepping closer to his colleagues to inspect the picture. “I’m guessing it’s a closed space, but not a room…The walls are slightly bent, it gives depth to the picture.”

 “So…a tunnel or something?”

 “You can correct me anytime.” Iwaizumi shrugged. “But this is my lucky guess.”

 Yaku and Kuroo said nothing, but by the looks on their faces, they completely agreed with Iwaizumi’s trail of thoughts. And not only them, but Matsukawa shared the same look on the picture, when he looked at it after returning from the laboratory. Except the official idea that the place shown on the yellow paper was a tunnel,  there was nothing more either of them could actually see on its yellowing surface. The next, smaller piece of paper found by Inuoka and Shibayama was the same mystery. The lines over it didn’t belong to any words, so they decided it wasn’t any writing. If it wasn’t writing, then it must have been the outlines of some logo or another picture. They couldn’t learn anything more from the papers, there for they moved on to the other clues, found in the clothes of the victim or around his makeshift grave by Inuoka and Shibayama.

 By the end of their shift, they had only managed to sort the clues and pack them safely until further analysis. They had gotten nowhere with the new case, but that was all they could manage until the reports by the policemen and coroner came.

 ---

Bokuto Koutarou had worked at the department for about four years now and he still wondered why he found his job so fitting for his character. No wounds or threats could scare him out of the world of crime. He had never expected to end in the heap of murder and ruthlessness. He had seen him self as a national volleyball player, a pilot, when he was little he even planned on becoming a fisherman, but after he graduated the desire to help rid the world of all the crime that lingered over it like fog made him sign up for the police academy. He was quickly liked by his superiors and professors, due to his ambition and will. He managed to push it right to the top and even though he wasn’t the biggest thinker or the sharpest mind in his unit, his skills were treasured in the department.

 The little accident, which happened last week was mostly his fault. He didn’t normally run up at an armed criminal with only his bare hands, but they were pushed to the wall and something had to be done. Never again, Bokuto promised him self after he woke up in the hospital with an ugly scrape bellow his ribs and shocking pains, which climbed over to his head and down his legs like lightning. If anything, Bokuto understood the danger he had put him self into. He was yelled at like a child after that and despite his desire to go back to work and fill out his report, he was forced to take at least a week of rest. He hadn’t taken a day off since graduating the academy, so staying at home when everyone else was working felt off to him, but the pains in his sides, a constant reminder of his slowly healing wound, forced him home.

 The stay home was in way a good thing, since Bokuto could concentrate on a lot more important things. Like the homecoming of his most favorite person in the whole wide world, his Akaashi.

 Akaashi Keiji didn’t work as an investigator, nor was he a policeman. He had a place reserved in the underground world of crime. Akaashi worked as an agent for the department in Nishitama. He never really stayed in one place for more than a month out of safety measures and he never really spent much time home. His work was a lot more dangerous than Bokuto’s. He would merge with members of especially dangerous syndicates and groups, from where he would give information about their activity to the police. As dangerous as his work was, he never missed to call Bokuto every day. Short calls, to prove he was alright. Bokuto didn’t know what he would do if one day, Akaashi didn’t call him. Even though he trusted him and loved him, Bokuto feared. He was used to spend his days in constant work and couldn’t even notice the time flying, but now, with all that free time, he could think only about Akaashi and what he was doing god knows where. But this time it was different.

 Despite the heavy schedule, Akaashi had managed to finally free some time and come home. Bokuto was finally going to see him again, hug him, hold him. They would go out together, hold hands and eat dinner together. Things he dreamed of every night, while sleeping in his cold and lonely bed. Because of that, and because Akaashi’s homecomings were a rare occasion, Bokuto had gone out early, to buy things for dinner. He had been out all day, buying this and that, all of Akaashi’s favorite things. He even managed to find his favorite movies, so they could watch them later. He had no idea when he would be home, but he hoped it would be soon. He couldn’t wait anymore. He couldn’t wait to see his Akaashi again after so long.

 Bokuto returned home after the tiring day of shopping at around half past six. The pain in his side was getting worse and he knew he had to take it easy for a bit, but he had almost no time. What if Akaashi showed up any moment? He had to get everything ready.

 Bokuto toed off his shoes and staggered towards his kitchen, where he left the bags of groceries. He took his medicine and decided that he could effort a minute of rest. He slid a hand over his injured side and dragged his feet towards his bedroom. He opened the door slowly, not bothering to turn on the lights in the dimmed room. It had been raining since morning. Raindrops rolled over the window in his room, their shadows visible over the floor. Bokuto was ready to throw him self on the soft bed, but once by its side, he stopped. His big, round eyes widened in surprise, as he saw the person already laying there, half tucked in the light purple bedding.

 The moment Bokuto recognized his Akaashi on the bed, he sighted deeply in content. His heart relaxed, as he saw Akaashi visibly unharmed and alive. Just like he had saw him months ago. He finally felt actually at home. Bokuto walked silently to the other side of the bed, one hand still over his throbbing wound, and slowly sat down on the bed. He lay down beside Akaashi with a soft hiss of pain, but all his pain melted away as he breathed in the familiar smell he loved. He pulled Akaashi’s sleeping form closer to him, gently, as to not wake him (he was positively exhausted, Bokuto noted to him self) and tucked them both under the warm bedding. Bokuto buried his nose in Akaashi’s soft hair and inhaled the familiar scent deeply. He felt as if he could melt right then and there. He had almost forgotten how good it felt to have Akaashi by his side, how warm it was. Especially on the cold and rainy nights, when he felt most lonely.

 Bokuto sighted again, letting all the stress and worry fade. He wrapped an arm protectively around Akaashi and smiled.

 “Welcome home…” he murmured softly, before drifting off in the best sleep he had had in months. The dinner and movies had to wait. For now, he couldn’t feel happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finally decided to write what makes me happy. Looks like this makes me happy! I would love if you left me some reviews, that is really helpful and will make me write more and faster if you really do like it! This work contains all my favorite ships and characters, put in a setting which makes me giddy and excited! Please comment and if you liked it, stay tune for more! ;)


	2. The novice

The morning, when Yaku went to work somehow something didn’t feel right. The weather wasn’t the issue. It hadn’t changed since the day before. The clouds were just as gray and the light drizzle of rain was more than refreshing. No, the thing that was different was the presence of the expected novice in Yaku’s office.

 When he walked in the large office of his unit, Yaku was met with Iwaizumi and Matsukawa’s expecting glares. Before he had a chance to ask what was going on, before he actually considered asking, Iwaizumi pointed towards the door of his smaller, corner office.

 “You have a visitor.” He said coolly and Yaku blinked in confusion, before continuing towards his office. By that time he actually began to feel rather nervous. He had forgotten about the assigned partner and the measures Ukai was talking about yesterday and had expected to start the day by reading the freshly send reports regarding his new case. The word _visitor_ could mean an official, and that sometimes meant bad news for the unit.

 When Yaku walked in his office however, all trace of nervousness he might have felt vanished, replaced with a strange feeling of distaste. He took a deep breath through his nose and thought of a number between zero and hundred (eighty), before letting the breath out again through his nose. There, in the small space of his office, sitting on his chair, behind his neatly tidied desk, was the tallest, lankiest person Yaku had ever had the chance to meet, and that coming from him was something. The unknown person had crossed his hands calmly behind his head, leaning back on the softly creaking chair as if he owned the place and Yaku held in the urge to punch the light grin right off that pale face. And he would, if it wasn’t for Kuroo, who was standing on the other side of the desk, explaining the latest news on their case to the intruder. He was doing it with big reluctance, judging by the annoyed look on his face.

 When the two noticed Yaku’s presence, Kuroo threw the papers in his hand on the desk and looked at him with a frown, while the intruder behind Yaku’s desk opened one eye to stare at him. He blinked, studying Yaku intensely, and the young investigator felt a shiver crawl up his spine.

 “What is going on here?” Yaku asked with an annoyed voice, closing the door to his office.

 “This is the novice…” Kuroo spoke reluctantly, pointing towards the ashen haired person on Yaku’s chair. Before he had the chance to introduce him, said novice jumped from Yaku’s chair and flashed him a smile, brighter than the sun it’s self.

 “Haiba Lev!” the novice said with a loud voice, which echoed around the small office. “From Saitama Investigation Department! It’ll be a pleasure working with you.”

 Yaku blinked, processing the loud declaration, before again regaining his stoic demeanor.

 “I suppose Kuroo already filled you in on the case.” He said, walking closer to his desk. “May I ask why you were sitting on my chair like the office is yours? Aren’t you supposed to show respect towards your superiors?”

 Haiba made a groaning like sound and hung his head. Even so, Yaku really doubted he felt any shame.

 “I’m sorry, Yaku-san, was it? I’ll be careful to treat you with a lot more respect. Thing is, I’m not really used to be bossed around by people who look like high school students…”

 At the statement, Yaku felt something in him crack. His expression at the moment had to be pretty laughable, since Kuroo had to bring a hand up to hide the grin, which split over his face and to muffle the short snort of laughter. Haiba didn’t seem to find anything wrong with his words. For him, they actually seamed pretty much accurate. And that made Yaku angrier than ever.

 “But, don’t worry, Yaku-san!” Haiba began again, “I’ll try to change for you! After all, we’ll be spending a lot of time together from now, yes?”

 Yaku felt his eye twitch, as he pointed towards the door of his office.

 “ _Out_.” Was the short demanding word he told Haiba, making a shiver crawl up his long  spine. The novice nodded once, before circling his desk and heading towards the door. At least he wasn’t so persistent and attention starved. Yaku might actually come to like him, sometime around.

 After the door shut behind him, Kuroo looked at him with an understanding grin.

“First impressions?”

“Bad.”

 Yaku circled his desk, putting everything Haiba had touched back in order, before sitting on his chair with a sight.

 “I really have no time to concern my self with him.” He told Kuroo, reaching towards the folded papers in front of him. “Is this the med report?”

 “That and the results from the clothes we sent down to the lab.” Kuroo pointed out, sitting down heavily on one of the chairs in front of Yaku’s desk. “Unfortunately, all of the blood was from the victim. Most of the samples were too dirty to be identified. Another interesting thing is that the skin around the victim’s fingerprints has been scrubbed off, so we can’t take fingerprints and identify him.”

 Yaku raised a brow. He had never gotten the chance to meet such a smart murderer, who would think so far ahead before a murder. He had heard and seen such in movies, but was never ready to investigate the case of one personally.

 “The body was found in a mid phase of decomposition.” Continued Kuroo, reciting the medical report word by word. “I don’t know how he looks, but judging by the looks the medics gave me, he must have lost his good looks somewhere around the first or second day of his afterlife. Taking a photo and identifying him like that won’t prove very successful.”

 “So we’re stuck with just a dead body?...Nothing else?” Yaku asked, brows furrowing in concern, as he looked down towards the reports.

 “I’m afraid not.” Kuroo sighted. “The case won’t gain publicity until the majority of the officials decide otherwise. We have a bit of time to work something up. I’m guessing Ukai will want results though, and soon.”

 “But we have almost nothing to work with.” Gritted out Yaku, eyes skimming over the words on the white paper, as if the answer would just come to him. “Give me a minute to read the report…I’ll think of something then.”

 “Thing is, we barely have witnesses.” Kuroo continued to talk, as Yaku concentrated over the report. “That part of the metro is supposed to be demolished somewhere around next spring. No one really goes there.”

 “Who found the body then?” Yaku asked, looking at his colleague.

 “A bunch of adventurous kids. Their parents didn’t let us talk to them though. Well, they didn’t let Fukunaga talk with them, I’m guessing you’re figuring out why…”

 Kuroo’s low snicker didn’t help ease Yaku’s mood, if anything the fact Fukunaga was so bad with people and taking evidence irritated him more. His mind didn’t linger on the younger policeman’s bad approach however and he quickly returned to the job at hand.

 “I have good news over all the bad ones however!” Kuroo suddenly said, his voice taking a lighter note. “Guess who’s coming back to work tomorrow?”

 Yaku’s eyes widened and he actually grinned.

 “You can’t be kidding right?” he asked, raising a brow. Kuroo only shook his head.

 “I would joke with that. I already sent Bo the reports after I got them yesterday. The good old owl’s coming back tomorrow.”

 Yaku let out a pleased sight. He would never feel happier to greet Bokuto back again. He wasn’t a big fan of his loud persona, and he detested him ever more when he got together with Kuroo, but he had to admit that he had skill. Bokuto might not seam like the patient and studious type, but when it came to the depth of his work, he actually began to think pretty rationally. When it was necessary, he could shine with one of the best deductive minds Yaku had seen in his carrier. He was glad they were going to get his help soon.

 “That’s a relief.” He breathed out and leaned his chin on his hands. “It will compensate the novice’s presence.”

 Kuroo grinned again at the mentioning of their newest colleague.

 “Don’t be so harsh on the kid. Though, he did press quite the button…”

 Yaku shot him a warning glare and Kuroo had to try very hard not to laugh. He coughed in his fist, before standing up.

 “I’ll be leaving you to your thoughts.” He said, heading towards the door. “Iwaizumi wanted to check the papers again.”

 “I’ll read the report and help out.” Yaku promised and after a short nod, Kuroo walked out of his office, leaving him in peace.

\---

 When Kuroo walked into the shared office of the investigation unit, he was met with an interesting sight. One thing he quickly noticed was Haiba’s presence. He couldn’t be missed easily, with that height of his. Another thing which couldn’t be missed easily was the presence of Yamamoto Akane, the unit’s secretary. The contrast between her and Haiba was strongly evident. For one, their height difference. But Kuroo couldn’t miss the way they actually looked similar. Yamamoto was on regular basis a chatty and open minded person, and Kuroo had made such an impression of Haiba after their short and quite irritating first meeting. This time though, both of them were hunched over the main table in the office, inspecting with gleaming gazes the two yellow papers in front of them. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi were present too, looking at the two expectedly.

 “What’s going on here?” Kuroo asked slowly, eyes darting between his two colleagues, Haiba and their chatty secretary.

 Matsukawa was the first to give him an answer.

 “The novice and Akane said they could help.” He plainly said with a short shrug of his shoulders.

 “I’m pretty sure I can!” Yamamoto confidently said, looking at Kuroo with a grin. “I’m a fan of image books and I like readying the art magazines! If the picture on this paper is actually a drawing of something bigger, I’ll recognize it!”

 Her voice was full of promise and Kuroo couldn’t tell her to just go back to her desk and mind her business. They were left with nothing, so her help was pretty much wanted.

 Kuroo looked at Haiba, who stood strait and looked at him just as confidently.

 “My sister’s a fan of puzzles!” he quickly said, “You might not believe it, but the little piece of paper and the drawing on it seam to be from something bigger, like a bigger image or something. If we can find another piece or such, I’m sure I can put it together!”

 Kuroo nodded and walked towards the table to join them in their silent observation.

 “Do we still have nothing?” he asked, looking at Iwaizumi and Matsukawa.

 “We sent Inuoka and Shibayama on the scene again, and Hinata’s going to talk with the coroner.” Iwaizumi answered and looked at the papers again. “For now we’re stuck with… _this_.”

 “The paper isn’t from a magazine, it’s definitely from a book, a pretty old edition at that!” Yamamoto suddenly declared, leaning over the large paper. Much to everyone’s surprise, she gently lifted it up and sniffed at it slightly. Haiba made a face of amazement, as if he was watching the work of Sherlock Holmes him self. On the other hand, the actual investigators simply blinked in confusion, as Yamamoto continued to smell the paper. “The paper is scented…” she said after a while, brows furrowing in concentration. “This isn’t like those things they spray the magazines though…It’s lighter, and it was put on the paper a lot after it was made, unlike the magazine paper. The smell isn’t mold…It’s light…”

 “Like perfume?” Iwaizumi asked, waiting for Yamamoto to finish her expectation of the paper.

 “I remember once I bought Makki perfume…” Matsukawa said with a light grin, “He threw it at me…”

 Kuroo laughed at that, before Yamamoto raised a hand.

 “I’m not used to wearing perfume, but I can tell it was a light aroma to begin with.” She concluded. At her words, Haiba piped up.

 “Let me smell it!” he quickly said, gently taking the paper and giving it a whiff. “This is…It smells like cherries…but not exactly. Wait! I bought something like this from Takashimaya for my sister’s birthday! What was the name of it…”

 The three investigators watched in awe as Haiba rocked his brain for an answer and as Yamamoto started to yell out possibilities of perfume brands and fragrances she had encountered in the glittering halls of Takashimaya department store. To say the least, they were surprised with how quickly the two had actually made progress. Kuroo was sure that if Yaku came out of his office right now, he would get downright annoyed at how better orientated Haiba and Yamamoto were. Technically, they still had no idea what to do with the new information, but for a case such as this, every sort of clue was welcomed.

 “I think it’s Guerlain!” Haiba soon said, but quickly changed his mind, “No! The smell isn’t clingy, but it’s sweet…Positively strong enough to last in that underground for such a long time and still be noticed.” He sniffed at the paper again and furrowed his brows, “I think it’s barriers…It doesn’t have that nasty cloying sweetness most fruity perfumes have though…Akane-san, does that help?”

 Yamamoto bit her lip in thought, leaning back on her heels before returning on her toes and backwards again. After a heated moment of though, in which Kuroo, Matsukawa and Iwaizumi were looking at the due desperate for the new information, Yamamoto finally spoke with the confidence of a young woman with enough free time to look over all the top fashion magazines she could get her hands on during work.

 “It has to be Blackberry and Bay!” she yelled triumphantly, just as Yaku walked out of his office, holding the report in his hand.

 Everyone looked at their superior, as Yaku blinked in confusion, eyes skimming over his three colleagues, the novice and Yamamoto.

 “What happened?” he asked, walking closer to the small assembly, “What’s Blackberry and Bay?”

 “Yaku-san, that’s a perfume!” Haiba told him enthusiastically, “Me and Akane-san found perfume on these papers! Hajime-san and Issei-san said they were important so I decided to help out with them! Then suddenly Akane-san came to bring coffee and we started to work together and this is the end result!”

 “They made progress.” Kuroo said, looking at Yaku, “If there’s perfume on the paper, that means it might have been left there by a woman, or the possible suspect left us a clue to a possible next victim.”

 Yaku looked at him, brows furrowing slight, before he looked at the smiling Yamamoto and Haiba.

 “If you’re certain about the perfume brand, then where is it sold?” he asked and Yamamoto was quick to answer.  
 “I’ve seen it around Mitsukoshi, but it’s so popular lately that it’s sold in most of the expensive stores in Chiyoda, Chuo or Ota!”

 “I bought one for my sister from Takashimaya once!” Haiba added and Yaku nodded.

 “Then we should see if anyone suspicious has bought the brand from any of those stores.”

 “Won’t that be a bit pointless though?” Iwaizumi asked, looking at Yaku, “It’s full of stores in central Tokyo, not to mention that if it’s that popular it might have been bought from somewhere else or over the internet with the purpose of leaving a trace. You won’t get anywhere if you start expecting every each one possibility.”

 “Then we just wait for a next victim?” Yaku asked, raising a brow and looking at Iwaizumi. He had to admit, he was right. Such ways of investigation would be a simple waste of time. “If we take the idea that this is a trail to the next victim though, then the victim has to be a woman, if the clue is perfume.”

 “Someone who likes wearing this Blackberry and Bay thing.” Kuroo nodded. “But then again, if it’s popular, the future victim won’t be the only one who wears it.”

 “Then we should map out the area around the place we found victim number one.” Yaku advised, “If it’s a serial murderer, then he would act in a certain area. The place we found the first victim was rather humble…I’m guessing not many women there can effort such perfume, so we can go from there.”

 “Your logic isn’t perfect, but we have nothing better.” Concluded Matsukawa with a light shake of his head and plopped down on the chair behind his desk with a deep sight. “Oh, man…I so want to go home right now…”

 Kuroo once again laughed at Matsukawa’s behavior, while Yaku turned to face the brightly smiling novice, Haiba Lev. He and Yamamoto were currently beaming with pride and talking heatedly about the second piece of paper and what it could mean and how it could be related to the first. For a moment, Yaku forgot about the unsatisfying things he heard from Ogano Daiki about Haiba and saw him as a capable investigator. A moment later, when Lev knocked a mug of coffee over the front of Yaku’s pants, such thoughts automatically vanished from his mind and he cursed him self for seeing Haiba as anything more than a novice.

 ---

 The rain padded softly against the window of Yaku’s office. The young investigator tried to concentrate on its quiet sound, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by the soft creaks of the chair in front of his desk, which was currently occupied by the novice Haiba Lev. Yaku didn’t look at him directly, but he could almost feel him twitch in his seat.

 After letting out a deep sight, Yaku finally looked at his new colleague with a stern look. His expression didn’t seam to bother Haiba, who was smiling at his superior with expectation. The feeling that he had done something good today bubbled in his stomach, sending pleasant waves of pride right to his chest. Haiba couldn’t help but feel happy.

 “Are you…erm…Have you read the reports about the case?” Yaku asked him and Haiba quickly nodded, “Then you know what the case includes? You know about our current clues and speculations?”

 Haiba nodded hurriedly again.

 “What do you think then? As an investigator, you should already have a theory.”

Haiba thought for a moment, finally sitting calmly in his chair, before nodding slowly and looking at Yaku with determination.

 “I have a good hunch about this case, Yaku-san.” He said, his childish face seaming serious for the first time since Yaku had met him. “I have the good feeling that the murderer will strike again and that the answer where and how are left on those pieces of paper!”

 “We have to stop him before his next victim you know?” Yaku raised a brow, blinking at the other’s enthusiastic response. Who would be that happy to investigate a murder case? It must have looked very adventurous and cool at first, but Yaku knew the depths of his job pretty well and was certain that with time, even Lev would lose his confidence about it.

 “I know that!” Haiba answered, sitting barely on the edge of the chair, “But we have to think out of the nutshell, yes? I mean, the investigation will be great if the next victim can give us more clues about the murderer. In some way, I’m looking foreword to it, but I’m not saying it won’t be good if we get to stop the guy before committing the crime! That’s our job in the first place.”

 Yaku nodded. Haiba was thinking the right way, though the way he wanted there to be another murder soon with such a light heart was far too unsettling. But Yaku had to agree with that as well. When in a series of murders, one had to gain information from all of them. When there was only one murder, Yaku had nothing to work with.

 “What are your plans for further investigations?” he asked Haiba and the novice again gained a serious, thinking expression.

 “I think that for now, we should concentrate on finding the next victim and protecting him.” quickly answered Haiba, “We have to think a step ahead of the murderer, see how he works, get under his skin, you know.”

 Yaku nodded. Haiba was again starting to look confident with his approach and the air around him was regaining its determination. It was oddly unsettling.

 “Then go get know your man better.” The investigator sternly said and Haiba sprung up from the chair like a mattress spring. He nodded, grin shining blindingly over his pale face, before heading out of the office.

 Yaku felt a pleasant feeling shoot from his heart to his stomach, where it coiled, radiating heat, as if a warm palm was feeling over his abdomen. He leaned back on his slightly creaking chair and sighted deeply. He had an oddly bad feeling about the future and what it held for his unit.

 ---

 When Bokuto woke up, it was already early in the morning. The day must have been as cloudy as yesterday, since the room was dimmer than usual. He could feel a soft throbbing in his injured side, a sign that he had to get up soon and take the medicine the doctors had given him.

 With a soft groan, Bokuto opened his eyes, only to find the other side of the bed empty. He had the clear memory that he had fallen asleep with Akaashi in his arms, but now the other was gone. This made Bokuto stand up quickly, despite the sharp surge of pain in his side. This couldn’t have been some dream or delusion, caused by tiredness or the painkillers he took daily. He was positive Akaashi was there, alive and breathing, and that he had fallen asleep beside him.

 The policeman stood up from the bed and made his way out of the bedroom. He couldn’t have been dreaming. With that simple thought in mind, he walked through the halls of his humble apartment, peeking in every room along the way to see if Akaashi was there, but he wasn’t. Just as he was about to fetch his phone and call him, Bokuto walked into the kitchen, his eyes widening in surprise and thankfulness as he was greeted with the heartwarming sight of Akaashi making him tea and breakfast. He could feel the tension in his body release, as Akaashi looked at him with his normal unimpressed expression. The expression Bokuto had missed so long and the one he was secretly afraid of loosing someday. That day wasn’t today however, and he could feel his heart beat loudly in his chest from the realization.

 “Akaashi…” he breathed out, oblivious to the fact he had held his breath for almost half the time since he had woken up. “You’re really here…”

 “Where else can I be, Bokuto-san?” the shorter male asked, raising a brow in question, before turning towards the counter, “I came back earlier yesterday and wanted to surprise you, but I was so tired I fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow I guess. Did you freak out when you didn’t find me in bed?”

 “You bet I did!” Bokuto whined, walking closer to Akaashi and hugging him tightly, like a clingy child. “I thought I was dreaming when I saw you in bed yesterday!”

 “Sorry, Bokuto-san…But you looked so cute while sleeping, I couldn’t help but let you sleep. I know your job is hard, especially with the night shifts.”

 “My job isn’t as hard as yours, ‘Kaashi! Plus, I got a week off, so I wasn’t tired at all…”

 After mentioning his short vacation, Akaashi whipped his head around to face him with badly hidden concern. He knew Bokuto would never take days off, no matter how tough his work got or how tired he felt.

 “Why did you have the week off?” he asked, his voice smooth, with a soft note of worry.

 “Got in a little conflict a week ago, with that case I told you about…” Bokuto sheepishly explained, eyes lowering to where his bravery mark was located beneath his clothes. “I got a little injured, nothing serious though! Just a flesh wound, no one’s safe from such…”

 For the first time since their conversation began, Akaashi’s face showed the worry he was feeling. Bokuto saw it in the way his eyes became just a bit larger and in the way the corners of his mouth quirked upward for just a moment, before he looked at the direction of Bokuto’s wound. He turned to him a bit more fully, so he was cornered between him and the counter, and reached up to gently touch Bokuto’s side. His fingers shivered, as he felt the soft bandage under the material of his T-shirt. A sudden hiss from Bokuto made him quickly retract his hand and look up at him in concern.

 “Does it hurt?” he asked and Bokuto quickly shook his head.

 “It’s already fine, I’m telling you!” he insisted, his blinding grin returning to his face, “I’m going back to work tomorrow too, so there’s nothing to be worried about! You’re back too, so I’m perfectly fine now…”

 The two looked at each other longingly, the tension between them melting. Akaashi’s features seamed calmer now as well. After a moment of just looking at each other, Bokuto leaned in slowly, capturing Akaashi’s lips in a gentle, love filled kiss. It wasn’t passionate, just a soft gesture of adoration. They broke apart almost instantly and Bokuto smiled again, resting his forehead against Akaashi’s.

 “I missed you so much…” he softly said, making Akaashi give a rare smile.

 “I missed you so much more.” He said back and Bokuto couldn’t help but hug him again, tighter than before. In that moment he didn’t even care about the pain in his side, or the rain out side, nor did he care about the work he had to do tomorrow. His Akaashi was home and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty short, but originally I had a lot more planned for it...Well, I guess I'll combine that with chapter three! I was in a big hurry with this! To celebrate my blinding success in P.E. and in Volleyball more ever! ^^ I feel darn happy guys! Not to mention my teacher seams to hate me, but last week he complemented my spiking of all things! So yes, I was really happy while writing this. Just a warning for the next chapter, prepare the handkerchiefs...  
> Thank you for reading, please comment and tell me if there's anything you don't like or would like to see in the upcoming chapters!


	3. The Autumn Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kuroo's hair will be down here and in a few following chapters!

The halls of the department were almost entirely dark and lifeless by the time Yamamoto Akane was done with her shift. The only lights that were still left working were those on the floor of the investigation unit where she worked. Almost everyone from the unit had went home by that time, the last one being the new recruit Haiba, who had decided to leave no more than an hour ago, hurrying out like a hurricane pass Akane’s desk. Her brother had gone home around that time as well, telling her that she could take their shared car and he would go home with the train, so she wouldn’t have to go home alone or in the dark.

 Walking around the offices on the floor as a last check up and to see if all lights were out and all doors locked, Akane stumbled upon the still opened door of Yaku Morisuke’s investigation squad’s shared office. The lights in the room were still on, buzzing softly and illuminating the heavy desks and cabinets with their bothering white glow. Akane decided that Haiba had been in too big of a hurry to shut them out, so, being the helpful person she was, she decided to settle everything in the office down before heading out and calling it a day. She liked her work, she really did, and she never really wanted it to end. She was probably the only person on the whole floor who did. She was always enthusiastic when it came to her job, never failing to offer her help, despite being a simple secretary. Sometimes she wished she could get a different job, something flashy and important, something which could bring out all her good sides. But that was something out of her reach for now, so she was alright with working her boring secretary work behind her messy desk.

 The four desks in the office were mostly clean and tidy, Akane gave credit to their owners. But the one beside the window, which was normally occupied by the overly loud Bokuto, was now covered with papers and almost unreadable notes. Akane decided that Haiba had been working on that very desk until the time he decided to go home, not bothering to clean up. She knew that Yaku would through a fit if he walked up on the mess in the morning, so she decided to do Haiba a favor and put a little order to the desk.

 Stepping behind it, Akane began to order the papers and notes as she saw fit. Some of the notes were writing entirely in red pen, others were messy and parts of them were underlined. Judging by their content, Haiba had done some serious thinking about their newest case. Some of the notes looked more important than others and Akane wondered why he had left them at work. Suddenly, a though came to her mind. What if he had forgotten them by accident and was currently looking for them at home. He had been quite in the hurry when he left. It was no wonder he would leave them behind in the heap of paper which she had first seen on the desk. So what if she offered a helpful hand and brought him the notes. She would do him another favor and maybe she would help, just like this morning. To be honest with her self, Akane found Haiba Lev cool. Maybe it was that foreign look he had and the way he stood out so unusually, but there was a certain charm to him. Of course, the good looks couldn’t compensate his loud and bubbly nature, which was something quite new to the floor of the unit (even Bokuto and Kuroo knew how to be serious when it came to work). Even so, there was determination in him and Akane found her self liking that. Doing him a favor would prove to be the better choice in this situation, even she was late for dinner time already and her brother would start calling her soon.

 Akane took the notes and papers from the desk and headed quickly towards the office door, shutting off the lights on her way and closing the door softly. The only sound on the floor now was the soft click of her heels against the clean tile. Once Akane reached her desk, she took her jacket, handbag, car keys and a spare folder to put the notes in. She turned off the lights in the hall and skipped down the stairs towards the first floor of the building.

 It was already dark out side by the time she left the building. The air felt soggy, a light fog spread it self over the neighborhood, the water drops in the air turning yellow and orange from the city lights. Akane walked boldly towards her shared car, burying her nose in the collar of her jacket. The beauty of a car her brother had bought a year ago waited for her patiently on the parking lot, where they had left it the same morning, ready to go. To be honest, Akane liked driving, but what she liked more was sitting in the passenger’s seat while her brother drove. Most of the time that was some extreme racing experience, sitting in those expensive leather seats only added to the feeling. Of course, such reckless driving in such a city as Tokyo proved to be a hazard most of the time. Once they were even pulled off by none other than Fukunaga and after a minute of awkward staring through the side window, the officer on patrol made her brother roll it down, wrote and gave him a speeding ticket, despite their friendship and the fact they were colleagues.

 Unlike her brother though, Akane was quite the careful driver, especially if she was alone and the roads were as wet as they were now. The blonde unlocked the car, opened the door and after throwing the folder with the notes and papers on the passenger’s seat, climbed in the fine beauty of a car she had the privilege of driving. Akane gently shut the door and started the car, pulling out of the parking lot and turning down the street. Suddenly, she felt glad that Haiba had told her his address during one of their friendly chats today during the coffee break.

 At half pass eight, Tokyo was already awakening to the night life. The colorful city lights were shining blindingly at the windscreen of Akane’s car as she drove through the a lot more crowded streets, only to turn towards the quieter suburbs where Haiba had told her he lives. She didn’t live in the central parts of Tokyo either and Haiba’s address was oddly close to hers, so she wasn’t complaining. She felt rather important bringing him the notes. Maybe he would think of something vital for the new case overnight after he read them again. The thought of being praised and thanked made Akane smile, as she began to look for Haiba’s house number through the ones she passed, slowing down the car in favor of looking better. Once she found the address she was looking for, Akane stopped the car, parking right in front of the front gate.

 The house wasn’t big, only two stories, like most houses on the street and her own. The lights on the second floor were on, meaning that someone was still up, preferably Haiba. He had told her he lived with his sister while in Tokyo, so Akane secretly hope she didn’t run into her, out of a pang of shyness.

 The secretary walked out of the car and headed towards the front gate of the house with confident strides. She walked into the neatly cleaned garden, feeling a bit like a criminal while making her way through the shadows, towards the front door and once she stood on the front porch, after a moment of hesitance, rang the doorbell.

 The soft melody rang through the house and reached Akane’s ear, before disappearing into the cold, dark night. Akane stood bouncing slightly on her feet in front of the front door, fingers gripping the paper folder close to her side, as she waited patiently for someone to answer. After another moment of waiting in the cold, Akane heard someone’s hurried steps coming towards the door from inside the house. The lights from the inside hall were turned on, along with those of the porch, before the door opened to reveal someone who wasn’t Haiba, but who resembled him from top to bottom. From the ashen blond hair and pale skin to the definitely foreign height, the woman in front of Akane right now looked like a female version of her unit’s new recruit.

 “Oh, hello,” the girl in front of Akane said with a smile similar to Haiba’s. “Are you looking for someone?”

 “Erm…I am, actually.” Akane said, standing up straight to try and compensate the height difference between the two. “I’m here for Haiba-kun…Haiba Lev, he left some notes in the office, so I decided to bring them for him.”

 The girl’s smile fell for a bit when she heard her words, and she tapped her chin in thought.

 “If you’re looking for Lyovochka, he went out a minute ago, you just missed him.” she said with a soft sight and looked back at Akane, who’s eyes were a wide as plates, sparkling with interest, as she held the folder in front of her chest tightly.

 “W-What was that?” she stuttered, eyes shimmering in excitement, “What was that way you called Haiba-kun?!”

 “Eh? Lyovochka? Oh, that’s his pet name!” the girl smiled and Akane held in her squeal.

 “That’s supper-dupper cute!” she childishly exclaimed instead, making the girl in front of her smile wider.

 “It is, right?! I’m his older sister, Alisa. I can give him that folder for you. Oh! But if you want to give it to him personally, do come in! He shouldn’t take long.”

 Akane hurriedly nodded and stepped inside of the clean hallway. She apologized for the intrusion as it was custom and took off her shoes as Alisa closed the door.

 “Ever since Lyovochka came to live with me, I’ve been staying on the second floor.” The taller girl explained, leading Akane up the stairs. That would explain why the lights on the first floor were off.

 “That’s really cool how you can live together so well!” Akane exclaimed, following her towards the second floor.

 Once they were there, Akane was left surprised at how clean the place seamed to be. It looked like a neat, modern apartment from Chuo. Even though it wasn’t very flashy like her part of the house, or very abstractly decorated, it gave out a comfortable, homey vibe. The little furniture in the living room was lightly colored, along with the peach walls. Everything seamed to stand out pleasantly on the dark wooden floor, which was covered by a soft, red rug. There was a bookshelf beside the working TV, which was sat over a similarly looking wooden table, and a few family pictures hung around it. The window was covered by soft looking, light orange curtains. The kitchen was separated by a waist high counter from the living room and Akane could see a modern stove and refrigerator behind it. A short hall to her left led towards two closed doors, perhaps Alisa’s bedroom and the room reserved for a bathroom. It all definitely topped her own messy room.

 “This place is amazing! It’s like from a decorative magazine!” she couldn’t help but say, voice filled with fascination.

 “I try to keep it clean, but Lyovochka’s a lot messier than me, so I try to clean his floor too.” Explained Alisa, walking further into the living room. Akane could see that an opened book lay over the glass table in front of the white couch, so she assumed the older girl had been occupying her self with it, while the TV worked in the background. “Come over and sit! Make your self at home! I’ll bring tea…”

 “No need!” Akane quickly stopped her, following just behind her towards the couch. “I’m just here to give Haiba-kun his notes and I’ll be on my way! My brother will start pestering me in a bit anyway!”

 “Oh, you have a brother too?” Alisa’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, as she sat down on the couch, patting the place beside her as a sign for Akane to sit as well. That was exactly what the blonde did, pretty quickly. “Older or younger?”

 “Older!” quickly answered Akane, “But not by much, only three years.”

 “Brothers are a handful, aren’t they?”

 “The biggest ever! But isn’t it better with a younger though? Being the big sis and all of that…”

 “Not at all! Little brothers are like babies, especially once they graduate high school and you have to send them on their own, but they constantly keep coming back and you just can’t shoo them out!”

 “Don’t all older siblings think like that…”                                                    

 “But when you’re younger you can get away with anything! You can even stay by your parents longer, while the life of an older sibling is so stressed…”

 “But don’t the younger siblings make it stressful?”

 “Right, now I feel more like Lyovochka’s mom…”

 “And sometimes I feel like my brother’s not my bro, but my dad, it’s unfair!”

 As their conversation took towards another girly turn, downstairs, in the pocket of Akane’s coat, which hung on the hanger in the hall, her phone rang insistently, as Yamamoto Taketora desperately tried to reach her, but to no avail.

 

\---

 

By the time Kuroo got home it was already raining out side. The heavy rain drops padded against the roof of the apartment building and against the glass of the windows in his shared apartment. He could hear the noise from the front door, when he entered the hall with slow steps. He closed the door and slowly toed off his shoes. He never felt so glad to be home, never felt the need to be out of work so much.

 The afternoon had gone smoothly, but their work had hit a dead end. Even though the novice had helped them a lot, they were stuck, and that’s what made his day even worse. Knowing that you had the incapability to do anything in such a case was nerve wrecking for someone who got his money out of it. And when it came to his job, Kuroo liked to do everything he could and do it good. Such cases made him doubt his own skill and lose confidence. But that wasn’t the time to lose spirit. He had to get a grip and think rationally tomorrow, when his bro Bokuto came back, or else he’ll be a laughing stock. No way was he losing his spotlight to his colleagues, Yaku or the novice of most people.

 But even though they were nowhere near to solving their case, Kuroo didn’t think the problem was big enough to bring it home with him self. His apartment was a worry and work free zone most of the time and he wanted it to stay that way. Especially when he was this tired and subconsciously troubled and when he felt a forming headache knocking on his door.

 After taking off his jacket, Kuroo walked further into the small apartment, enjoying the feeling of finally being in his own home and being able to call it a night. He made his way towards the kitchen, after seeing that the other rooms were empty, only to find none other than Kozume Kenma already there, standing in front of the sink, pealing an apple with slow, unhurried movements. The sight of Kenma holding anything sharp and positively dangerous in his hands, the sharpened blade of the kitchen knife running mere millimeters from his finger tips as he cut the fruit, made Kuroo’s heart jump, before he forced him self to relax. Kenma wasn’t a baby anymore. He could do as much as feed him self. Kuroo was exceptionally happy that the pudding haired boy had decided to actually do something else than sit on the couch and play his videogames. And eat at that, despite the food of choice being a fruit with the capability of making you hungrier.

 Kuroo smiled smugly, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms in front of his chest, as he watched Kenma work on the apple, eyes narrowing in concentration, as he continued his slow, smooth movements with the knife. He didn’t even notice Kuroo’s presence until the other coughed in his fist to gain his attention. Once he did, Kenma spared him a short glance.

 “I see you’re home.” He evenly said, before turning his attention back to the fruit.

 “I’m home.” Kuroo said, before entering the kitchen, stepping behind Kenma and raising his hands to linger just above the other’s waist, “Okay?”

 Kenma nodded shortly and Kuroo wasted no time in wrapping his hands around his thin waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. He inhaled deeply and pressed closer to Kenma. He couldn’t wait to go to bed already and to snuggle beside his boyfriend until his alarm went off in the morning, reminding him of his unending duties.

 “Rough day at work?” Kenma asked after a short silence, cutting the apple in his hands after it was pealed.

 Kuroo nuzzled against his neck, the ends of his wild hair tickling Kenma’s ear and making him shudder.

 “It was tiring.” He admitted softly and heard Kenma hum.

 “Wanna talk about it?” he asked again, but Kuroo shook his head.

 “I don’t want to bother you with gore stories.” He said, before unwrapping his arms from around Kenma’s waist, giving him one last squeeze (he could never help him self when Kenma gave him permission to touch) and stepping away from him.

 “I don’t like your job.” Kenma suddenly admitted, turning towards Kuroo and holding up a piece of apple to his mouth. Kuroo looked at him and, holding his gaze, took a big bite from the fruit, stuffing more than half of it in his mouth.

 He knew Kenma worried. He didn’t voice it, but he could see it in the way his brows furrowed and he frowned whenever he talked about his workday. Kenma liked peace, while Kuroo’s work provided anything but that. But that very same job, which Kenma disliked, was their main sores of income and it would stay like that until Kenma decided to change his own job to something more appealing. Kuroo knew he never would, so the only thing left was for him to look out for him self when it was needed. Something like the thing which happened to Bokuto last week would positively ruin Kenma.

 He knew Kenma worried. He knew he would never say it, but he did. And sometimes Kuroo wished that Kenma would be more demanding of him and make him leave his job for the sake of something else. Something safer. But Kenma would never do that and would just continue to worry on his own, and Kuroo wanted to be anything but a burden to him.

 “I know you don’t.” He finally said, after what seamed like an eternity of chewing on the melting piece of apple in his mouth. “But there’s nothing to be done about it, you know.”

 Kenma looked at the counter silently. Kuroo somehow had the hunch he was frowning, but his hair was covering his face, so he couldn’t tell. It was better not to push the conversation further. He didn’t want to and he knew Kenma didn’t want to either.

 “I’m going to take a shower.” He informed his smaller boyfriend, trying to make his tone lighter, in the sake of the good, homely mood. “Let’s watch something later and call it a night? I’m really tired…”

 He heard Kenma take a short breath, still not looking at him. For a minute he looked like he was about to say something, so Kuroo stopped and waited, but in the end, Kenma decided against speaking. Kuroo had nothing to hurry for so he waited, but when it was obvious Kenma wasn’t going to say anything, he casually walked out of the kitchen. What ever Kenma was going to tell him, it probably wasn’t important.

 Then again, he would always be ready to listen to Kenma. Listening to him wouldn’t be a bother. Kenma had to know he could tell him anything and sometimes, when he acted as if telling him about his worries and problems was going to be a burden to him, Kuroo couldn’t help but feel angry at him self. Angry because somehow, through their years of closeness, he hadn’t been able to make Kenma open up fully to him.

  _There you go_ , Kuroo thought to him self, as he stripped from his work clothes in the bathroom. _Over thinking again_.

 It would all be good in the end, so there was nothing for him to think about. His work was dangerous, but how bad could it get?

  _It’s not like someone’s after my head after all_.

 ---

 The next morning, when Haiba Lev walked into the building, he couldn’t help but feel something heavy in the air. Something new, that spiked his interest. He felt like something had changed in the department overnight. A certain feeling of seriousness and anticipation lingered in the air and he couldn’t help but feel it even heavier on the floor of the investigation unit. Something was off and Haiba Lev, as an investigator, had to find out what.

 He opened the door to the unit’s office with caution. Who knew who was going to play a prank on him just as he was going to walk in? He should predict the situation. But when he opened the door and took a cautious step in, he wasn’t ambushed by someone throwing water or coffee at him, nor did someone jumped in his sight to try and scare him, like his colleagues from the office down the hall. If anything, the people in the office only spared him a glance, before turning their attention back towards the person currently sitting behind the desk he was given when he first came. Lev knew his status was that of a substitute for the time being, and even though he was told that desk was not his, but would be used by him until it’s proper owner returned, he still felt a painful sting at the thought of being moved somewhere else so quickly. Like he was definitely unneeded and was just a noisy intruder. Lev was having none of that.

 Matsukawa hadn’t shown up yet, so the only people in the office so far were Iwaizumi, Kuroo, Yaku, and the other person, sitting behind Lev’s temporary desk. The four were discussing something, before he interrupted their conversation. Now they seamed to take an interest in his presence, especially the new person. At first, Lev found his appearance weird and unfitting for a place like the police department. He wore a typical police uniform, like Kuroo and Yaku-san did, but he somehow didn’t feel like an officer. His large, round eyes looked at him with interest and confusion. Lev didn’t like his stare, it made him shudder. So instead of staring at his unnaturally round eyes, Lev moved his gaze towards his unnatural hair instead. Black, or maybe gray, it was hard to tell which color his hair actually was. Spiked up to a style similar to Kuroo’s, but it was definitely not bed hair. Who knew how long he had to stand in front of the mirror to make it look the way it did and how much product he used. It looked unnatural and rebellious and, Lev found him self thinking, surprising even him self, actually kind of _cool_. Unusual and new to the typical atmosphere he was just getting used to in the investigation department.

 At first, no one talked. Eventually, after a moment of silence, Kuroo and Iwaizumi turned towards the person behind the desk and continued their conversation, regarding their case, while Yaku waved at him to come closer. And Lev did, taking large strides through the office and towards the desk.

 “From now on you can go to work right to the office down the hall.” Yaku informed him and Lev felt all his nightmares come true right in front of his eyes. “I told Akane to arrange a private desk for you there, so you won’t have to worry about your personal space.”

 Much to Lev’s surprise, Yaku smiled, looking at the person behind the desk.

 “We’re glad to have you back, Bokuto.” He said, rather cheerily, making Lev cringe. This wasn’t the same Yaku he had worked with yesterday. The one who had yelled at him and the one who actually kicked him after he messed up his documentary. Actually, this was still the same Yaku, but his attention was directed at someone else, not the novice Lev. “You sure you’re alright?”

 “Never been better!” the person, who Yaku had addressed as Bokuto, loudly said, spinning on his chair to face Yaku. “Though, I prefer to stay home and let my self be spoiled rotten by my Akaashi, but I guess I’ll have to wait till then.”

 “Work for your peaceful nights, bro.” Kuroo, who looked oddly different to Lev, but he couldn’t put his finger on why, said, grinning at his colleague. “Be the patient fellow I know you are and at night, when you go home to your sweetheart, you’ll feel a hundred times better!”

 “I seriously don’t know who you can last, bro!” Bokuto dramatically wailed, leaning back on the chair,   “You too, Iwaizumi! How can you stand being away from your loves for so long?”

 “You’ll learn how when you spend a week or less with Oikawa.” Iwaizumi grumbled with his naturally gruff voice. “But that’s not the issue here is it?

 “It isn’t.” Yaku confirmed, regaining his stoic demeanor. “Bokuto, this is Haiba Lev, the novice.”

 Lev winced at the way Yaku introduced him, but he knew there was a long way to go before getting on his superior’s good side. He didn’t seam to be even half way there yet.

 Bokuto looked at him again, a dangerous grin plastered over his face. Lev felt him self shudder, but locked gazes with his superior, not backing down from the little stare down he was obviously invited to. He made him self look as serious as possible, but perhaps he was overdoing it. He was told that his look was intimidating enough without him trying, but he heard those things from people who met him for the first time and barely knew what kind of a happy-go-lucky guppy he was.

 After a short moment of silence, Bokuto stood up from the chair and offered Lev a hand for a handshake.

 “Bokuto Koutarou.” He introduced him self and just as Lev was happily reaching to shake his hand, he quickly moved it away, sitting back down on his chair, his round eyes not leaving Lev’s for a second. “Work for it.” He teased, making Kuroo laugh from beside him and Lev groan. The embarrassment was even bigger when Iwaizumi and Yaku covered their own laughter.

 Instead of giving a replay, deciding to keep the little bit of dignity he still had, Lev turned towards the quietly snickering Yaku with a confident look.

 “Yaku-san, is there any new information regarding the case?” he asked, sparing Bokuto a short glance, only to see him lean back in his chair, arms neatly folded across his chest, cocky grin still covering his face. Lev would be sure to wipe it straight off it very soon.

 “We were just talking about it.” Yaku informed, returning to his original self. “There isn’t anything new, but Bokuto thought of something interesting.” From the corner of his eye, Lev saw Bokuto’s grin widen, if possible. “The idea is to look over some old cases and look for similarities. It isn’t impossible for this case to be part of a series rather than the start of one. We told Akane and a free officer from down the hall to go look for the documentary in the storage.”

 “I really have no idea why you guys didn’t think of this earlier.” Bokuto suddenly said, a disappointed look on his face, as he shook his head. “I mean, what kind of professionals are you?”

 “Wow, Bokuto, where would we be without you and your large variety of criminal movie inspired techniques?” Kuroo mockingly mused, shaking his head, as Bokuto quickly turned his head towards him with a growl.

 “Hey! I didn’t see anything better when I came here this morning! And this isn’t a movie technique, it’s actually valid and it’s used when solving a murder case such as this!-“

 “Fine, I got it, I got it!” Kuroo interrupted his rant with a wave of the hand and Lev finally realized what was different in his appearance.

 _Kuroo-san’s hair wasn’t sticking up in all directions this morning_!

 Once Lev noticed the dramatic change, he couldn’t help but ask what had caused it. Kuroo only shook his head and ran a hand through his now flat hair. Iwaizumi was the one who nonchalantly answered his question, turning towards the papers on his own desk.

 “He woke up like this, isn’t it obvious?” he said flatly. “For the first time in a while you slept normally didn’t you?”

 Kuroo turned towards Iwaizumi and hid the spiteful remark behind a flawless grin.  
 “I couldn’t help it, Iwaizumi.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I was too busy to get my hands on the pillows last night.”

 “What did you try to imply with that statement?...”

 “It was pretty lame if you ask me.” Yaku chides in with a short shrug.

 “Yeah, you could’ve thought of something better bro.” Bokuto throws in, making Kuroo groan.

 “Bro, shut up!”

 “I think it looks super cool on you, Kuroo-san!” Lev suddenly exclaims, making Kuroo look at him startled. “It’s awesome when it’s sticking up, but it’s manly when it’s down!”

 “It’s called bed hair.” Bokuto chuckles quietly, “Look it up.”

 He snorts and Kuroo doesn’t hesitate to punch him this time.

 Before the conversation about Kuroo’s new hairstyle and the reasons he had woken up with it could escalate, the door to the office opened and Akane walked in, holding with great difficulty no more than three cardboard boxes. She was followed by a taller officer, who Lev had remembered as Yamaguchi from the office down the hall. He was holding a few boxes as well, following the secretary inside of the office with an oddly bothered expression.

 “These are the reports, cases and evidence from five years back.” Akane announced, setting down her boxes on the first desk she reached with a huff. “I wasn’t sure weather you wanted older documentary or not, but if this doesn’t cut it, I’ll bring more.”

 “We have enough on our hands for now.” Yaku informed her, stepping closer to the desk she was standing beside. “When we’re finished with this, we’ll call you to sort them and take them back to the storage and probably bring us more.”

 Akane saluted, ready to help with whatever she could, and after Yamaguchi left the boxes he was carrying on the desk beside the others, the two exited the office, leaving the investigators to their work.

 A few minutes later Matsukawa arrived and Yaku was quick to give him a job. He was given a knife for opening letters and was told to unpack the boxes and the evidence in them. Lev had been eager to do just that, but Yaku quickly ruined his fun by saying that his lack of professionalism would ruin the evidence and documentary in the boxes. That’s how Lev found him self seated behind Iwaizumi’s desk, reading through the old reports and looking through the assembled photography, in search of something which could relate to their current case. He personally found the job boring, but instead of whining, he decided to shut up and do as he was told for once.

 The work wasn’t as hard as it was boring and tiring. Especially when Lev knew he couldn’t skip a few needless paragraphs from the reports. He had to read everything carefully and that wasn’t exactly his thing. But time seamed to fly quickly and soon Shirafuku Yukie from down the hall came to bring them coffee and lunch. Their rest wasn’t a big one and soon they were back to the boxes and old documentary again.

 It was around three in the afternoon when the unit actually made some kind of break on their case. The good news came from Kuroo, who by then looked ready to doze off on his desk.

 “I think I found something interesting.” He suddenly said, blinking the sleep from his eyes and sitting up straight in his chair. He raised the folder he was holding closer to his eyes, inspecting the sentence which had gotten his attention, before speaking again. “This is from last year, the case with the arm in the kindergarten yard. I think we were already working together by then.”

 “Yeah, it was the same year as the scandal with the stolen evidence regarding that drug smuggling case.” Yaku said and Lev suddenly noticed a change in Kuroo’s expression. His frown became deeper and he furrowed his brows, looking down at the papers in his hand. Matsukawa seamed to have noticed the same, since he gave him a long, sideway glare.

 “I remember that back then we were fairly new to the whole investigation scene, so the superiors didn’t give us much space to work.” Iwaizumi cut in the conversation, walking closer to Kuroo’s desk. “The case was turned to the public quickly and caused quite the shock.”

 “There was this woman, the one who found the arm.” Matsukawa began, stretching his long arms above his head. “She was so shocked, she was sent to see a private specialist for her nerves. The popularity didn’t do her any good either…”

 “What was that case?” Lev curiously asked, but Kuroo was quick to change the subject before anyone could answer.

 “It reminded me of this, because according to Inuoka, the victim’s hand was the only thing visible and in the case from a year ago there was only a hand found.” He explained, leaning back on his chair, “But then again, it can be just some copycat loser, who thinks he can be cool.”

 For a moment, everyone seamed to be in deep thought, so Lev deiced not to interrupt the atmosphere with any unneeded sound. He simply waited for someone to speak up again. While waiting, Lev looked at Yaku, expecting him to be the first to talk. As expected, he was the one who seamed to be thinking harder than anyone. He was leaning against Kuroo’s desk, stern gaze locked down at his hands. He was frowning in concentration. Lev couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked, despite being shorter than most people he had ever met. Not to mention how mean he could be sometimes, but Lev knew him from less than a day however. He couldn’t judge. He wasn’t a flower either…

 Suddenly, Yaku looked up at his colleagues.

 “I’m wondering about the woman.” He slowly began, “Who talked with her?”

 “I did.” Iwaizumi said, raising a hand. “She was in obvious shock, but I can’t remember details.”  
 “How can’t you remember your first case?” Bokuto sighted from his place behind his desk. Lev had almost forgotten about his presence. Despite being seemingly loud, once he stepped behind his desk, Bokuto became pretty quiet and concentrated. “I think I remember her name. She was on the newspapers. Nagaoka? Yamaoka? Something along those lines.”

 “According to the report from back then, her name is Hanaoka Shiina.” Kuroo helpfully said, “Back then an employ at the kindergarten the arm was found at. She went to work early that morning and stumbled upon our gruesome sight upon entering the yard. Guess it was pretty frightening.”

 “I haven’t heard anything from her these days.” Matsukawa added, “Her fame died down shortly after the case was closed.”

 “I was thinking…” Yaku began again, slowly, thinking over every word, “We are looking for a woman right? But…Never mind. This sounds too much like a movie script.”

 “Don’t be shy, detective Yakkun!” Kuroo urged him with a grin, “It’s not like we have anything better.”

 “Movies are based on true events, do you hear me!” Bokuto added, waving his arms from behind his desk to get Yaku’s attention. “Don’t you dare think anything can be silly and stupid, especially when having nothing to work with!”

 “I was thinking that this woman could be the next victim.” Yaku said with a sight, as if ashamed of his statement, “We’re looking for someone young, with a good taste in perfume. This Hanaoka couldn’t be more than twenty something years old, can she?”

 “She has to be about twenty three already.” Kuroo nodded thoughtfully. “Your idea isn’t so weird, Yakkun. It _is_ a bit like from a cliché crime movie though.”

 “Don’t make fun of the criminal movie industry!” Bokuto yelled again, making Kuroo snicker.

 “So, you think the murderer is going to get rid of this Hanaoka lady? But why though?” Lev asked, looking up at Yaku.

 “Maybe she knows more than he would like?” Matsukawa asked, raising a brow.

 “Or maybe he’s just getting rid of old acquaintances?” with the same tone in his voice asked Kuroo, looking at Yaku, “Imagine the following situation. This woman gained more popularity than him back when the case was still going. Such crazed minds don’t like being out of the spotlight. Maybe he thinks it’s time for a little revenge?”

 “You could be right, but still, such a thought sounds too stupid and surreal for me…” Yaku shook his head and just as Lev was about to talk, Inuoka burst through the door of the office. His face was red from running and he was clutching a piece of white paper in his hand.

 “Yaku-san, Kuroo-san…” he breathed, looking at his superiors, “We got a call from an unknown person…He says he witnessed a mysterious man burying something, which looked suspiciously like a human body, a few meters from a deserted building near his house. This is the address.”

 Lev was the first to spring up from his chair and walk towards Inuoka to take the paper with the address, followed by Kuroo and Yaku.

 Outside the rain continued to fall from the darkening clouds, creating a melancholic and depressing atmosphere, greatly suited for that of a horror or criminal movie, like the ones Bokuto so liked.

 ---

 Yaku had ordered Lev to stay with Matsukawa and Iwaizumi in the office, but he didn’t listen. It was surprising how quickly the orders were given and how fast everyone had gotten in a spare police car to drive to the given address. The routine seemed well trained. Except this time, they had a man more to deal with. Yaku really didn’t want Lev around, especially when Kuroo and Bokuto were definitely going with him. He would just cause unneeded fuss and probably get in their way. Truth be told, Yaku was worried that he would get hurt if things got out of hand.

 Despite all his yelling and pushing, he couldn’t get Lev to sit down and stay with Matsukawa and Iwaizumi. The boy was ready to go before he even made it out of the office. Yaku wasn’t sure if his devotion to help was a good or bad thing, but he didn’t have time to think over it. Who ever gave them the signal was probably still there and if what he saw was really a culprit getting rid of a victim, they had to be there quickly, or else they might find not one, but two bodies on their new crime scene.

 The rain hadn’t picked up since the morning. It had generously resolved to only a slight drizzle, but the heavy gray clouds continued to hang over the city menacingly. As always, Kuroo was the one behind the driving wheel, Yaku sat in the seat beside him, while Bokuto and Lev sat in the back, nerves on the edge. The atmosphere between them was heavy and grim. Every few seconds Kuroo would throw a look at the paper with the address, cursing Inuoka for his way too sloppy handwriting and pushing the gas peddle to its limit, making the car fly through the lifeless streets.

 The place they arrived at was seemingly deserted. The neighborhood was filled with new buildings, some of which hadn’t even been finished. Most of the apartments in the already build buildings weren’t sold yet, making the place overly lonely. There was no one on the street or around, so who ever had called them must have fled the scene right after.

 Kuroo stopped the car near one of the abandoned construction sites and the four investigators quickly got out. The ground beneath their feat was muddy from the rain and Yaku could feel his shoes caving in the mud, making him groan. While he, Kuroo and Bokuto instinctively reached for their weapons, secured in the holsters on their belts, Lev, who had nothing to reach for, simply stayed behind Kuroo and looked around cautiously.

 “Should we split up?” Bokuto asked from his spot behind Yaku and he quickly shook his head.

 “Better not.”

 “I don’t see anyone around.” Kuroo noted, looking around and making a few steps further, hand a bit more relaxed over his personal weapon. “Do you think it could have been a false signal?”

 “I really hate those…” Bokuto grumbled, following Kuroo’s lead and taking a few steps foreword to stand beside Yaku.

 “To think someone would make such fun of the police!” Lev angrily exclaimed and Kuroo turned back to shush him.

 “If it wasn’t a joke, someone might still be around.” He said, looking back the construction site. The apartment building there was halfway done, the ground around it covered in mud and dirt. The place looked completely deserted, no sound could be heard.

 “Let’s look around the building.” Bokuto offered and when Yaku nodded, the two policemen began to walk away from their car, leaving Kuroo and Lev behind to follow. Lev was quick to run up to them, leaving Kuroo behind.

 Suddenly, the loud roar of an engine cut through the silence of the neighborhood and the four investigators quickly looked back at the street, only to catch a glimpse of a black car zooming straight at them. The car made a sharp left turn once it was a few meters away, leaving the side window of the driver’s seat in clear sight. Kuroo had only a moment to catch the glimpse of the gun’s barrel before three following gun shots rang through the still air, shattering the calmness of the autumn afternoon.

 The car was gone in the blink of an eye, the engine roaring angrily as it sped down the side street and away from their view. Bokuto was quick to take his own gun from its holster and fire in its direction, too surprised to think rationally by that time and acting completely on instinct, but it was no use. The only thing he did was waste two or three bullets.

 For a moment, too caught up in their surprise, the three investigators didn’t even notice Kuroo clutching his sides, falling to his knees with a strangled breath, before falling down in the mud beneath him. When they did, Bokuto and Yaku were the first to run to him, calling out his name desperately, but gaining no reaction in return. The moment he was beside Kuroo’s unmoving body, Bokuto fell on his knees in the mud and turned him over to face them, shaking his shoulders and trying to get a response from him. For a moment, Yaku was too shocked to react, but once his brain started working again, he fell beside Kuroo, hands scrambling over his chest and stomach to try and detect where his wound was. By the time he found it, Kuroo’s shirt and jacket were already soaked in blood and Yaku worried that he was shot more than once.

 “Kuroo! Kuroo, are you okay?! Open your eyes, Tetsurou!” yelled Bokuto, hands trembling as he lifted Kuroo’s head and lightly slapped his cheek to get him to open his eyes. Yaku looked at his paled face for a moment, only to see him open his eyes just an inch and cough painfully, fresh blood spilling from his mouth and running down his chin. His breathing was ragged and when Yaku looked down at his hands again he felt his own blood run cold at the sight of so much blood. He tried applying pressure to the wound, but it was no use. By then he was sure Kuroo had taken at least one more shot.

 “Hang in there Kuroo, hang in there…” he chanted, stripping off his jacket and covering Kuroo’s upper body, pressing down on his wounds again.

 The thought that they should probably call an ambulance finally came to his mind and he looked up at Lev, who was standing beside the car, eyes wide and unseeing, as he stared at Bokuto, hands shivering and legs barely holding him up.

 “Lev! Call an ambulance, right now!” He ordered, cursing his voice for breaking so miserably. Even though he sounded genuinely scared, his words seamed to have gotten to Lev, who was quick to get his phone out of his pocket and, despite the way his hands shook and his fingers worked against him, dialed 118.

 “You’ll be fine, Tetsu. You’re gonna make it, do you hear!” Bokuto continued to talk, voice laced with despair. “Where does it hurt, buddy? I bet it’s just a scratch, you can pull through it! Just look at me, alright? Don’t you dare die right now, or I’ll personally kick your ass!”

 “It really hurts, Kou, Yakkun…” Kuroo breathed out, voice barely above a whisper. His eyes were halfway closed, pupils large and unfocused. He coughed again, grimacing at the sudden pain.

 “Don’t talk.” Yaku quietly told him, trying to sound comforting, despite how scared he looked. “For just a moment shut your mouth and gulp it down. It won’t hurt for long…”

 Kuroo actually grinned then. But that grin was merely a shadow of his original one.

 “Yeah, ‘cause I might die by then right?...” he quietly breathed and Bokuto grit his teeth.

 “Don’t talk like that!” he yelled, “Stop acting so cool, you bastard! Are you seriously going to leave us alone?! What about Kozume-kun?! Who’s going to explain this to him?! Are you really going to leave him alone?!”

 Yaku saw Kuroo blink, before he closed his eyes and groaned in pain.

 “I don’t wanna…worry Kenma…” he managed to say through gritted teeth, looking up at Bokuto again, “I don’t think…I wanna die…”

 “Of course you don’t! Who will be my bro then?!”

 Yaku looked up at Lev, who had just closed his phone and was again looking at them in shock, before looking back at Kuroo. His jacket was almost completely soaked with blood by then and he was scared they might loose him before the ambulance came.

 “Help will be here in a bit, Kuroo.” He said, again trying to be reassuring and calm. “Just don’t close your eyes. You’re going to be fine.”

 “How bad is the wound?” Kuroo quietly asked, making Bokuto shake his head.

 “You’re fine! It’s just a scratch, like the thing that happened to me last week!” he said, managing a small grin, “If I could live through that, you can live through it too!”

 “It…doesn’t feel like a scratch, bro…”

 Kuroo coughed again and Bokuto raised a hand to softly wipe the blood from the corners of his mouth with the edge of his sleeve.

 “Don’t you believe me?! It’s nothing serious, right Yaku-kun?!”

 Yaku quickly nodded, but somehow he knew Kuroo didn’t believe their words. No scratch could hurt as much as an actual shot wound.

 “I know it’s serious, bro…” he said hoarsely, the blood gurgling in his throat. “Bokuto…Yakkun…Don’t tell Kenma how serious it is, alright?...I don’t want him to worry…”

 “It’s not serious, bro…” Bokuto weakly said, trying miserably to believe him self. Kuroo looked up at him and again managed to give a small, tired grin.

 “You’re an idiot…” he softly said, before Yaku finally found his voice and shushed him.

 “Just shut up for now.” He sharply said, fists tight over Kuroo’s wound. “Just shut up…”

 “Hang in there, Kuroo-san…” Lev suddenly said, voice quiet, but enough for the three to hear.

 Kuroo gave Yaku a soft grin, before looking up again, too tired to say anything anymore. He breathed heavily, relaxing in Bokuto’s arms, his own hands resting in the mud beside his body. The soft drizzle of rain bothered his eyes, so he didn’t hesitate to close them. Before he knew it, the world around him went black. He tried to open his eyes again, afraid he was going to see the sky for the last time, but he was too weak to. A soft sight escaped his lips, before he went lax in Bokuto’s hold, blood dripping down his chin and dirtying his collar. The mud beneath him had become soaked with the red liquid gushing from his wounds.

 Bokuto’s eyes widened in horror and he gently slapped Kuroo’s cheek again, but got no response in return. He shook his shoulders lightly, ran a hand through his flat hair, removing the bangs from his forehead. But not once did Kuroo wince in pain or open his eyes. Not once did he breathe out some cheeky joke of his, nor did he at least give a tired grin.

 “Kuroo?...” Yaku heard him self saying, fingers desperately reaching over the mud to find Kuroo’s hand. Once he did, he quickly grasped his wrist, trying to find his pulls, heart racing when he couldn’t. His fingers went lax, dropping Kuroo’s cold hand back on the ground.

 By then, Bokuto was shaking Kuroo’s shoulders in panic, trying to get a reaction, but to no avail.

 “Kuroo?! Kuroo, say something, open your eyes! You can’t die like this, come on buddy, _please_!” he begged, leaning down to lay his head over Kuroo’s chest, searching for the pulls Yaku hadn’t found. He bit his lip, incapable of hearing even the slightest beat of his friend’s heart. Bokuto felt hot tears prick at the corners of his eyes, but he bit them down and again looked at Kuroo’s calm and pale face.

 “Come on, buddy, let me see your eyes again.” He softly said, but again got no response. “Kuroo, come on…Come _on_ , bro! Wake the fuck up Tetsurou, wake up! You can’t be dead, you can’t die on me like this! _Tetsurou_!”

 From the corner of his eye Yaku saw Lev fall on his knees, tears of panic and fear spilling from his eyes, as the siren of an ambulance echoed through the street.

 The raindrops became bigger and bigger, as the rain picked up. No longer was it a drizzle. By the time the ambulance came, it was raining almost heavily, the water mixing the mud and blood together. Yaku looked up at the clouded sky again, ran his hand through his short hair and, listening to Bokuto's please and cries, felt warm tears sliding down his paled cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This made me cry, I just had to stop here.  
> So this chapter contained nothing of what I originally planned, I had so much more ready for it, but I wanted to end it here and see what your reactions will be.  
> I had major authors block with a few scenes and I'm sorry if they came out terrible, plus I'm too lazy to check for spelling mistakes and if there are more than expected, don't worry, they will be fixed soon enough.  
> Comment people. That's all I need. Comment and tell me how I have done!  
> P.S. 118 is the emergency number in Japan, for whenever someone is injured and needs quick medical help, or in case there is any other need for help.


	4. The Drug Lawyer

 

_____

_“The transfusion went well…His heart beat is stable. We managed to stop the internal bleeding as well…All I can say is that Kuroo-san is one lucky man. To think that everything went so well after his heart had stopped for more than a minute is amazing!”_

_____

 

 “I’m going with him!” Bokuto yelled, getting in the back of the ambulance after the medics carried Kuroo inside. Before Yaku could say anything, the doors of the ambulance closed and he was soon left staring as it drove down the street.

 He felt tired. The experience had taken a toll on his nerves. Yaku felt as if he could fall in the mud and stay there. At first he could barely get up, thank god Lev was there to get him back on his feet. Speaking of Lev, he was now in the same state, staring at his feet behind Yaku. One look at him and Yaku could see how shattered he was. They were alone now, standing under the rain and waiting for someone to speak up. Someone to tell them what to do. But Yaku was sure Lev wasn’t going to speak up. He wasn’t the superior here, _he_ was. _He_ had to give orders. It wasn’t the time to lose their will. Kuroo would be fine. He couldn’t leave them and he wouldn’t. Yaku would bring him back from hell if he had to.

 Thinking of Kuroo, Yaku couldn’t help but think about Kenma as well. His heart clenched painfully in his chest at the thought of what his reaction would be. Someone had to call him, to tell him what had happened. Yaku didn’t want to admit it, but that someone had to be him.

 Taking a deep breath, Yaku turned to Lev.

 “We have to call the department.” He softly said, taking his colleague out of his dazed state. “We have to tell them to send a squad to look around the area. We have to tell Mattsun and Iwaizumi too…Can you call them?”

 Lev quickly nodded and again reached for his phone. Yaku could see his hands shake as he dialed the numbers. With a soft sight, he reached for his own phone, already thinking what he’ll tell Kenma once he picked up. As weird as it sounded, he had no idea how to start the conversation. It would be cruel to just drop the news on him like that. What if he freaked out? No, it was certain he’ll freak out, no matter what Yaku said. That only made him sight deeper, as he dialed the number, gaining Lev’s attention.

 “Who are you calling, Yaku-san?” he asked with his curiosity laced voice and Yaku couldn’t help but look at him, as he was bringing the phone to his ear.

 “I’m calling Kenma, Kuroo’s…boyfriend.” He answered, looking back at the street. “Someone has to tell him about this.”

 “Oh.” Was all Lev said, before returning to his own work and calling Matsukawa and Iwaizumi.

 Yaku waited patiently, hoping that somehow Kenma won’t hear his phone, or would feel too lazy to actually pick up, but as it seamed, today everything was going downhill.

 There was a soft beeping sound before he heard Kenma’s quiet, monotone voice from across the line.

 “Kozume Kenma speaking, how may I help you?”

 “Kenma…It’s Yaku…”

 

When Kenma arrived at the hospital, Bokuto was pacing around the hall in front of the operation room, clothes still bloody and wet from the rain. He looked paler than normal and a few strands of hair fell over his forehead, too wet to stick up from the gel he used. Yaku sat beside Lev on the bench in the hall, foot tapping on the floor repeatedly. Lev looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t belong in the scene, yet he refused to go back to the station or home, since he thought he might be needed for something. When the three saw Kenma running up to them, Bokuto stopped his pacing and looked at him fearfully, while Yaku stood up ready to comfort him. He reached out a hand and wrapped it cautiously around Kenma’s heaving shoulders.

 “Where…how…What happened to Kuro?” Kenma asked, out of breath from running, looking up at Bokuto. Bokuto bit his lip and looked away in shame.

 “He…Kuroo’s not okay…” he whispered and Kenma’s eyes widened in fearful realization.

 He looked up at Yaku, who also looked away, too ashamed to look him straight in the eye.

 “What’s wrong?” Kenma softly asked, still trying to sound calm, despite his face showing his growing panic. “How is he? What exactly happened, Yaku-kun?”

 “We got a fake signal and when we got to the place, we were ambushed.” Yaku said, voice flat, as he finally gathered his courage to look at Kenma. “The culprit shot three times, two bullets managed to hit Kuroo. One in the stomach and the other bellow his second rib. The doctors don’t know what internal damage the bullets caused, but their working on stopping the bleeding. We can say Kuroo’s one lucky guy…For a minute…No, never mind.”

 Yaku shook his head and again looked down. He couldn’t tell Kenma that the doctors had brought Kuroo from the other world in his current state. He him self was still processing the idea that Kuroo’s heart had stopped for five minutes straight, before the doctors managed to save him. All he knew was that if Kuroo had pulled it so far, he could get out of that operation room alive. He had to, for Kenma.

 “I want to speak to a doctor.” Kenma suddenly said, his throat closing painfully over the words, making his sentence chapped and incoherent. Seeing the way he barely held him self on his feet, Yaku helped him sit on the bench he and Lev had been sitting on, the young policemen making room for Kenma to sit, as if he was some kind of royalty. Only then did Yaku see that Kenma was still wearing his pajama bottoms and that made him wonder, how fast had he actually gotten out of his apartment to get here, no doubt in panic.

 “The doctors and nurses are working right now, just wait here.” Yaku told him, hand rest reassuringly on his back, but Kenma wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t a little kid, which could be made to believe anything. He looked up at Yaku and frowned.

 “I have to know how Kuro is.” He pressed defiantly and Yaku felt him self cave under his insistent glare.

 “Listen Kenma, no one’s going to tell us anything right now.” Bokuto tried, walking closer towards Kenma. “But I’m sure Kuroo’s gonna be just fine! Just be patient.”

 “But I…”

 “Kenma, we can’t do anything, we shouldn’t bother the doctors either!” Yaku said, making Kenma look down at his hands. His fingers were grabbing over the material of his pants and Yaku could see his fingertips turn white.

 “Yaku-kun, can I talk to you for a bit.” Bokuto quietly said, leaning down towards Yaku and the later nodded, standing up from the bench.

 “Lev, take care of Kenma.” Yaku told Lev, who had gone oddly silent, receiving a single nod in replay.

 He followed Bokuto out of the hall, into a more crowded area of the floor, stopping just around the corner. When Bokuto looked at him, he looked even more worried, but this time his worry wasn’t for Kuroo.

 “Yaku-kun,” he quietly began, “Akaashi came home yesterday, you know. Should I call him? He was always close to Kozume-kun, they always understood each other…Do you think he could help right now, if I called?...”

 “Give it a try, call him.” Yaku nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not sure what do right now…The doctors locked them selves in that room for an hour now, what the hell is happening?!”

 “I’ll call ‘Kaashi…” Bokuto softly stated and reached for his phone.

 “I’ll go get some tea for Kenma…Tell Akaashi to bring him some clothes too. He’ll freeze like this.”

 Bokuto nodded, dialing the number, as Yaku spared him a last glance before walking down towards the hospital cafeteria.  

 ---

 Lev wasn’t sure what to think of Kenma. He hadn’t heard him talk since Yaku left, even thought Bokuto had returned and was again pacing around the hall. Kenma was quiet and fidgety, though he looked scared more than anything right now. Maybe he wasn’t like this on normal basis, but still, Lev found him interesting. More than anything he felt the urge to comfort him, but he was scared to actually do anything. Especially with Bokuto there. He knew the nerves of his superior were on edge and that, similar to Yaku, if he said or did anything unneeded, he would end up setting him off like a time bomb. It was safer to just sit beside Kenma and be quiet.

 Lev looked back at Kenma. He sat with his shoulders hunched foreword, fingers trembling over the plastic cup of tea Yaku had brought him earlier. Yaku was currently in the waiting room of the hospital, telling Fukunaga what had happened on the construction site. The police acted quickly and Lev knew his turn to be interrogated was about to come soon.

 With a little sight, Lev turned his gaze back at his hands.

 Suddenly, the doors to the operation room opened and a tall man with wide shoulders, no doubt a doctor, walked out hurriedly. Lev saw Kenma stand up from his seat quickly and followed his lead, standing up as well. Bokuto was the first to speak, grabbing the doctor’s forearm to gain his attention.

 “How is he?” he asked and the doctor slid down his mask, looking at the three with a neutral expression.

 “We managed to take the bullets out, but he lost too much blood.” He answered with a calm voice. From the corner of his eye Lev saw Kenma shudder and he quickly raised a hand to touch his forearm. He felt Kenma flinch and took back his hand.

 “What does that mean?” Kenma asked, looking at the doctor, who could only sight and shake his head.

 “I’m not sure how to put this, but if we don’t act quickly, we might…He might not make it if we don’t stop the bleeding and a find blood of his type. I suggest you look for a donor while we check in the blood bank.”

 “But he’ll live right?” Bokuto quickly asked, only making the doctor frown.

 “That’s what I’m telling you. He might not if we don’t find blood quickly. Any of you can donate if your blood type is B.”

 “Mine’s A…” Kenma whispered, sitting back down on the bench, feeling his knees suddenly go weak.

 “I forgot what mine was, but it wasn’t B…” Bokuto said in thought and looked towards Lev, as the doctor walked out of the hall with large steps. “Haiba! What about you, have you any idea what your type is?”

 Lev looked at him and shook his head quickly.

 “I never needed to know.” He admitted and looked towards the floor. After no longer than a moment, he looked back at Bokuto with determination. “I’ll go check if it’s B. Don’t they make these tests before donation?”

 “Then go and ask the nurse or the doctor!” Bokuto ordered, though Lev could clearly detect the plea in his voice. He nodded and headed towards the end of the hall, only to be stopped by Kenma’s hand on his own.

 He looked down at Kenma, who quickly took back his hand and looked back at him with large, wet eyes.

 “If you’re his type…” he started in a small voice, gulping down tears. “If you can help him…Please help him.”

 Lev quickly nodded and practically ran out of the hall, almost bumping into Yaku on his way. His superior seemed to be in the same hurry as him, but once Lev told him what the doctor had said, Yaku quickly decided to go with him and see if his blood was fitting.

 Yaku stopped to ask a nurse about how things worked on their way, before heading towards the office she had directed them to. The two walked in silence, no one daring to actually speak. Yaku only asked about how Kenma was, to which Lev only shook his head quietly.

 The two found no one else around the door of the laboratory, so Yaku knocked on the door, before walking in. The office looked normal and sterile. The walls were white and the floor was covered with white tiles. There was a bed beside the wall to Yaku’s right, covered with a white, clean cover. There was a messy desk beside a table with clean needles, syringes and little tubes with blood samples. There was another door beside the bed, opened just enough for Yaku to see another, similar office. The room was uncomfortable and oddly frightening. The smell of iodine and spirit bothered Yaku’s nose. It had been a while since he visited the hospital and so far he didn’t enjoy the stay one bit.

 “Hello?” he called cautiously, closing the door once Lev followed him in the room.

 A nurse in white walked out from the door beside the bed, her blond curls bouncing with her steps.

 “How may I help you?” she asked and Yaku explained why they had come. The nurse quickly explained the procedure, readying a clean syringe, as Yaku and Lev sat down on the bed. Yaku rolled up his sleeve, motioning for Lev to take off his jacket and roll up his own. Surprisingly, Lev looked a bit uncomfortable and Yaku could see his hands shake.

 “Are you alright?” he finally asked, quietly, so the nurse didn’t hear.

 Lev looked at him with wide, green eyes and shook his head.

 “I don’t like this, Yaku-san.” He quietly admitted. “Where do you think they’ll take blood from?”

 “I guess from the vain.” Yaku shrugged, looking at Lev again. “Why?”

 “Yaku-san…I didn’t tell you earlier, but…I’m kind of scared of needles…The only place they’ve ever taken blood from me was from the finger when I was little.” Yaku had to bite his tongue to hold in his laughter. Lev looked so sincere and worried, it would be mean to make fun of him. He coughed in his fist and looked at Lev reassuringly.

 “There’s nothing to be scared of.” He quietly said, “It doesn’t hurt at all. In fact from the vain is less painful. You know they won’t take the blood here, right? I mean, the blood they’ll take here is just to see if yours is fitting for transfusion.”

 That only made Lev more worried and Yaku actually saw the little color he had on his face drain away.

 “Have you ever given blood like this Yaku-san?” he asked in a small, shivery voice.

 “Once for a friend.” Yaku truthfully answered and Lev looked at him in surprise.

 “And…does it hurt? What do you feel?”

 “Nothing, really. It’s a bit unpleasant. But you don’t really think of anything, you just lay there. It’ll be over before you know it. It actually feels good, because you know you’re doing something good.”

 Lev blinked at him and Yaku continued.

 “You know you’re saving a life and that’s enough. You know…Kuroo’s not just our colleague. He’s our friend, part of our family. If something happens…Kenma will be devastated. Think about what good you’ll do if your blood is good for transfusion. Think about that, Lev.”

 “I’m still scared, Yaku-san…Do you even understand?”

 “I do. But think about who you’re doing it for.”

 Lev groaned and flinched, as the nurse turned towards them with a ready syringe and a plastic glove in hand to use as a tourniquet.

 “After this is done, you have to take your medical cards and leave them here.” She explained, walking closer to the two. “Who will be first?”

 “I want to.” Yaku said with a short smile, before turning back at Lev, “Work up your courage.”

 Lev gulped, as the nurse tied the plastic glove around Yaku’s forearm with a few quick movements. He couldn’t explain to him self how Yaku could stay so calm, even when the nurse got ready to raise the syringe towards his arm. Lev couldn’t keep on looking and turned his head towards the door, closing his eyes. Yaku actually snorted out a short laugh, seeing how Lev’s leg jumped up and down over the white tile nervously.

 “Do you have any serious medical conditions or illnesses?” the nurse asked, slowly filling the syringe.

 Yaku shook his head and Lev whispered a short negative.

 “That’s good. And have you been sick lately?” the nurse questioned again and both policemen answered negatively again.

 It was over before any of them knew it. The blonde nurse, who’s name was Nakano, judging by the name tag, took out the cold tip of the needle from Yaku’s arm and gently rubbed the reddened skin with a piece of cotton drenched in spirit to clean it. She told Yaku to press the cotton over the little hole, as she went to label the sample.

 In that time Yaku made Lev swap places with him, so he could be closer to the nurse. Lev did so reluctantly, rubbing his hands together nervously.

 “Are you sure this won’t hurt?” he asked Yaku again and the later couldn’t help but smile reassuringly.

 “It’ll hurt less than a mosquito bite. The nurse was really gentle and careful too, so don’t worry.”

 “But still…”

 “Lev, if you’re acting like this now, I really hope your blood can’t be used. What if you faint in there?”

 “But, Yaku-san…”

 Thankfully, just as Lev was about to make some whiny remark, the nurse turned towards them with a ready clean syringe and needle. She tried to smile, walking closer to the bed.

 “Just relax your arm so I can find the vain quicker.” She said with a soft smile, tying the rubbed glove around Lev’s upper arm tightly. He flinched and instead of relaxing, he clenched his fist tightly, making the nurse’s job harder. Lev turned his head away from her, closing his eyes tightly.

 “Lev, relax, Nakano-san can’t do her work.” Yaku scold him, but it was no use.

 “I have double thoughts about this now, Yaku-san.” Lev admitted hurriedly, as the nurse probed around his arm for a suitable vain.

 “Don’t. Remember who you’re doing this for.” Yaku reminded him, but Lev only shook his head again.

 The nurse was a bit cautious about continuing, so she looked at Yaku questioningly. He sighted and motioned for her to wait, looking back at Lev and lightly slapping his cheek, making him flinch.

 “Lev, relax and look at me.” Yaku said, voice hard, but not exactly commanding. Lev slowly opened one eye to look at him. “This won’t do. Do you want to be a policeman? Do you want to be an investigator in my unit? Well you won’t be if you’re too scared to look at a pretty lady like Nakano-san.”

 “Oh, mister.” The nurse softly sighted, waving a hand at him with a soft blush.

 Yaku looked at Lev again.  
 “Listen Lev, pull your self together and think of Kuroo. You want him to be alright, yes?”

 “I do…” Lev whimpered, actually _whimpered_ , and Yaku bit his tongue again.

 “Then act like a man.”

 Lev took a deep breath and looked at the nurse, who looked at Yaku quizzically again. Yaku nodded lightly and she continued her work.

 Lev was trying to keep his eyes focused on what the nurse was doing, but once she took the syringe and got ready to pierce his skin, he flinched and looked away again. Yaku saw him bite his lip, his face paler than a sheet and he felt him self sighting. He reached up slowly and ran a hand through Lev’s ashen hair, making him open his green eyes to look at him in surprise.

 “Yaku-san?”

 “Shut up. It doesn’t hurt, does it? Just look at me and I’ll tell you when it’s over.”

 Lev hurriedly nodded and gulped down the spit in his mouth, looking at Yaku intensely. For a moment, Yaku felt him self shudder from how focused Lev looked, as he watched him, but quickly relaxed.

 He had told Lev that he will tell him when it was over, but neither really felt the nurse finish, too caught up in staring at each other’s eyes. A soft cough from the blonde nurse snapped them out of their little staring contest.

 “Please press on the cotton.” The nurse told Lev, leaving him surprised at how quickly and painlessly everything had ended. Even though he still couldn’t feel anything, Lev was cautious when pressing down on the wet ball of cotton.

 “Was this all?” Yaku asked, disposing of the already drying ball of white cotton the nurse had given him, “Should we return in some time for the results, or will you tell us?”

 “I’ll find the operating doctor and give him the results, if he decides that any of you are suited for donors, he will instruct you on how to proceed.” The woman explained and after thanking her, the two policemen walked out of the office.

 “See? It wasn’t as bad as you made it out to be.” Yaku said, once Lev caught up to him.

 “It was scary, Yaku-san.” Lev whined, walking beside his superior. “But thanks for being there, if you weren’t I would have definitely ran away!”

 “You’re doing this for Kuroo, Lev.” Yaku reminded him once again, “No freaking out.”

 “I know, Yaku-san! I’ll try to be braver next time!”

 Yaku only shook his head and, despite the circumstances, smiled.

\---

  When the two returned to the hall in front of the waiting room, Bokuto was talking with Fukunaga. Yaku wasn’t sure why the two were talking (it was quite the one-sided conversation) in front of Kenma about everything, but then it hit him that if Bokuto left Kenma alone, who knew what he would do. Not something drastic or dangerous, but everyone would agree that it was better for Kenma to have some company.

 When they noticed them coming, Kenma looked up hopefully, while Bokuto began explaining to Lev that he had to tell Fukunaga everything, from their arrival at the construction site to the moment the car appeared. Lev wasn’t about to protest. The needles were a lot scarier than Fukunaga (despite what Yaku would say). He walked out of the hall with the officer, leaving the other three alone.

 The minute he left, Kenma looked up at Yaku.

 “What happened?” he quickly asked, fidgeting in his seat, “Can any of you donate? The doctor came by again, but he didn’t tell us anything…”

 “Kenma, it’s not that fast.” Yaku explains, sitting beside him, “They have to run some tests, the check our medical cards to see if we can donate. It won’t take long.”

 “But what if Kuro doesn’t have that long?” Kenma mumbled suddenly, looking down at his hands again.

 “Don’t talk like that, Kozume-kun!” Bokuto yelled suddenly, making both of them look at him. “Kuroo’s _fine_! He will be fine!”

 Kenma looked back down again in silence and Yaku frowned up at Bokuto, shaking his head. That seemed to have made Bokuto realize his harsh behavior and he quickly looked down in shame.

 “I’m worried about him too…But sad talk like that won’t help.” He mumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

 Kenma nods and Yaku sights deeply, as he sees him rub his eyes with the back of his hand.

 The three are left waiting in the hall in silence. Lev and Fukunaga had gone God knows where and there are no nurses and doctors passing around anymore. Whatever’s happening behind the doors of the operation room is left a secret to the three and that only makes Yaku more nervous.

 Suddenly, hurried steps take him and Bokuto out of their dazed state and the two look up to see none other than Akaashi Keiji walking quickly towards them. Kenma only gives him a short glance. Akaashi’s carrying a plastic bag in hand and Yaku decides that those must be the clothes he asked Bokuto to tell him to bring for Kenma. Akaashi’s expression is neutral. He doesn’t look worried, only tired from the long run here. He sees Kenma and quickly walks towards the bench he’s sitting on. Bokuto doesn’t say or do anything, nor does Yaku, who only makes space for Akaashi to sit.

 “Kenma, are you okay?” is the first thing he asks with a soft and soothing voice, getting only a short shrug from Kenma. He looks at Bokuto and Yaku then. “How’s Kuroo-san? What do the doctors say?”

 “Nothing…” Yaku sights and shakes his head, “He needs quick blood transfusion. We’re looking for someone who can donate.”

 “My type’s A.” Akaashi says, but Bokuto shakes his head.

 “His is B.” at his words, Akaashi frowns and looks at Kenma again.

 “I brought a spare change of clothes for you.” He softly says and motions to the bag. “Do you want to ask the nurses where you can change?”

 “I didn’t even know you came back.” Kenma mumbles and Akaashi nods, reaching up to rub his back.

 “I finished my last job, so I have some free time now. Come on. Let’s go so you can get changed. It must be uncomfortable to sit around in your pajamas in the hospital.”

 Akaashi helps Kenma up and looks at Bokuto.

 “Do you need anything? Should I bring you food or coffee?...”

 “No, thanks.” Bokuto declines with a shake of his head and Akaashi nods, walking down the hall with Kenma by his side.

 Bokuto sights once the two are gone and flops down beside Yaku on the bench.

 “What did we do, Yaku-kun?...” he mumbles, leaning his head back. “How could we let this happen?”

 “It’s not our fault.” Yaku says, leaning back, “It could’ve been any of us in there.”

 “The police has probably crowded that place…Do you think that guy in the car was aiming for Kuroo?”

 “He fired three times, two of which got Kuroo. I doubt it was by accident.”

 “Who could’ve done it then? He might not look like it, but you know Kuroo’s a cool guy, he doesn’t have any enemies who would want him dead.”

 “I was thinking about that. No body really pops in my head either. Kuroo wasn’t the type to be hated…Despite being a provocative jerk, people liked him…”

 “Do you think it could’ve been a way to scare the whole department?”

 “I really don’t know…We have to take every possibility into consideration.”

 After a short moment of silence, Bokuto sighted again.

 “I don’t want to believe he’s actually there, fighting death…” he said, pointing towards the doors of the operation room. “Why the hell isn’t anyone telling us anything?!”

 “We just have to be patient.” Yaku sighted.

 “But for how long? How long do we have to be patient? The doctors fucking brought Kuroo back from the other world, Yaku! How much more do we have to wait until…Until he either leaves us or lives?!”

 “I don’t know, Bokuto! I really don’t…”

 The two fell in silence again, until a nurse came rushing into the hall, holding a folder in hand. Bokuto quickly stood up with the intention to ask if she knew anything about Kuroo’s state, but she was quicker than him, asking about Haiba Lev and if he was around.

 “The blood results show he is a suitable donor!” she hurriedly exclaimed, “The doctor told me to get him ready for transfusion as quick as possible. The patient has been getting worse. We might lose him if we don’t transfuse blood into him right now!”

 “I’ll go get him.” Yaku sharply said and before Bokuto could say anything, ran out of the hall to find Lev.

 ---

 Fukunaga suddenly pulled on Yaku’s dirty shirt and leaned down to whisper something in his ear. It was a quiet offer to go change into some spare clothes he had brought from the department a bit ago. Yaku had almost forgotten that his shirt was still wet and bloody, his pants were in a similar situation. He looked at Bokuto, who had again began to pace around the hall. His clothes were almost in the same state as his, bloody and muddy. He looked at Kenma, who was sitting beside Akaashi on the bench, shoulders heaving as he quietly hiccupped. Akaashi was rubbing his back comfortingly, telling him something Yaku couldn’t overhear.

 Then he looked at the doors of the operation room and his stomach clenched. He couldn’t believe how brave Lev had looked as he walked pass Kenma with the nurse, telling him how everything will be okay and that he’ll save Kuroo. Yaku wondered if he was the only one who saw how pale his face was and how his fingers trembled over his hips. He wondered if anyone noticed how Lev looked at him pleadingly. But Yaku couldn’t go with him, he asked the nurse later and she said he couldn’t out of hygienic reasons. Yaku felt his throat go dry, as he thought what Lev was thinking right now.

 He looked back at Fukunaga and shook his head. He didn’t want to leave now. He would get changed when he knew everything was alright. He looked at Bokuto, asked the same question Fukunaga had asked him, only getting a quick no in replay. Yaku thanked Fukunaga and asked him to go back to the department and tell Matsukawa and Iwaizumi that everything was under control and they shouldn’t worry. Not anymore at least.

 After Fukunaga nodded and turned to walk away, Yaku walked towards Akaashi and Kenma.

 “Akaashi, I think it’s time you take Kenma home.” He said quietly, gaining both of their attentions. Before he could say anything else, Kenma shook his head furiously.

 “I’m not going anywhere until I know Kuro’s okay.” He said, looking up at Yaku with defiance.

 “There’s nothing you can do here, Kenma.” Yaku tried reasoning, “We don’t know how long everything will last and you need to rest…”

 “I don’t need to do anything. I’ll stay here until Kuro’s okay.”

 Yaku sighted and looked pleadingly at Akaashi.

 “I think Yaku-san is right, Kenma.” He said, gaining Kenma’s attention. “There’s nothing you can do, even if you stay. Let’s go home. Yaku-san and Bokuto-san will tell us when the operation ends and we’ll come right here then, alright?”

 Kenma frowned, looking down at his hands. He didn’t want to leave until he knew Kuroo was out of danger. He really didn’t want to leave him, but Akaashi and Yaku were right. No matter how much he stayed there, he couldn’t do anything. What was the point of his presence then?

 With a soft sight, he nodded and Akaashi helped him stand up.

 “Call if anything happens.” Kenma said softly looking at Yaku, who nodded quickly. “Promise?”

 “I promise.” The investigator nodded again, as Kenma walked pass him. Akaashi quickly followed him down the hall, giving Bokuto a soft wave, before disappearing behind the corner.

 Yaku felt him self sighting again. He had lost count of the times he sighted this day. He sat down on the bench and soon Bokuto joined him. They didn’t speak. The silence wasn’t comfortable. They could hear the sounds of various footsteps, padding against the tiled floor of the hospital. The only thing they could do was wait.

 

 It was already around seven by the time Yaku drank his fifth cup of coffee for the day. He felt as if he was going crazy and Bokuto seemed to be in the same boat. He was huffing and cursing from the seat beside his, muttering something Yaku couldn’t hear. His impatience had started to bother him, but he decided to stay quiet.

 For the first time in more than an hour, the doors to the operation room opened and the doctor the two had spoken with the first time walked out, taking off his plastic gloves and sighting tiredly. Yaku and Bokuto only stood up, waiting for him to speak.

 The doctor looked at the two and sighted again.

 “The transfusion went well.” He began with a smooth voice, “His heart beat is stable. We managed to stop the internal bleeding as well. We still have no idea what the loss of so much blood could have caused to the organs and the brain and if they will function well after he comes to, but for now, everything seems to be in order. However, the following 24 hours are crucial. We aren’t certain if his state will become better or worsen, we have to take the two possibilities into consideration. All I can say is that Kuroo-san is one lucky man. To think that everything went so well after his heart had stopped for more than a minute is amazing!” the doctor allowed him self to give a short laugh. “We’ll keep him under watch for now, but tomorrow, if things keep being as good as now, we might transfer him to a normal room.”

 The doors to the operation room opened again and Yaku and Bokuto saw a few nurses and another doctor (this time a woman in her late twenties), who was giving out orders, take Kuroo’s unconscious body out on a wheeled bed. When they moved pass them, Yaku managed to look at Kuroo’s face. He looked pale, still breathing by the looks of it, but another thing Yaku couldn’t help but notice was how dead he looked. The thought of what could have happened continued to bother him, despite things having ended with a happy end for now.

 “Kuroo?...” Bokuto softly whispered from beside him, looking at the doctor again, “Are you sure he’s alright? There’s nothing to worry about, is there?”

 “I already told you, the following few hours are deciding.” The man told him with the same passive voice. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

 The doctor walked past them and out of the hall. Just then did the situation finally down on the two policemen. Everything was over. Everything had ended. Kuroo was going to be alright, he was going to live.

 A slow grin crept over Bokuto’s face and he threw his arms in the air, cheering victoriously.

 “Hey, hey, HEY! I knew you could make it bro! I knew you would get out of that place alive!”

 His raspy voice echoed through the hall and Yaku couldn’t help but laugh him self, reaching for his phone. He couldn’t wait to tell Kenma the good news…

 Then he remembered about Lev and his smile fell. He looked towards the operation room and then at Bokuto.

 “You call Kenma. I’ll see how Lev’s doing…”

 “Hey, that’s right!” Bokuto spoke again, looking at Yaku, “Haiba is a real hero, isn’t he?! If it wasn’t for him, who knows what could’ve happened. Make sure to thank the newbie from me!”

 Yaku smiled and gave a short nod, before heading towards the operation room with a soft sight.

 When he walked in the room, he found it almost empty. The scenery there made him shudder. It was like a picture taken from a horror movie. He was used to spending his time in places like morgues, with dead people still on the cold metal tables, but somehow he didn’t really like the operation room.

 Beside the metal operation table there was a hard bed, like the ones in most of the hospital rooms. And on the bed lay Lev, feet too long and slightly dangling off of its end. Yaku didn’t know weather to find that comical, or worry because of how pale and sick Lev looked. He almost looked as unconscious as Kuroo and Yaku felt him self shiver.

 There was a nurse, telling Lev something in a hushed voice, and he looked like he was listening, so Yaku relaxed. When the nurse noticed his presence, she walked around the bed and closer to him.

 “Are you a friend?” she asked with the same hushed voice and Yaku nodded.

 “Is he alright?” he asked, looking at Lev and the nurse nodded with a small smile.

 “He’s fine. A bit tired, I think. You can stay if you want, I’ll go get something sweet for him. I told him not to make any sudden movements, or he’ll make him self dizzy. He tried to stand up too quickly a bit ago, maybe that’s why he doesn’t look so good now. Please, make him stay still for a bit longer.”

 Yaku nodded and after the nurse exited the operation room he walked closer to where Lev lay on the bed. He took a short breath and tried to smile, leaning over Lev.

 “How did it go?” he asked, surprised at how quiet his voice came out. Lev opened his eyes and looked up at him dazedly, as if he was drunk or high.

 “Why didn’t you come with me, Yaku-san?” he slurred, trying to stand up, but Yaku pushed him down on the bed again.

 “Don’t move too much.” He scolded him with a small frown, before managing to smile again. “They didn’t let me. But say, was it _that_ scary? How do you feel now?”

 “Tired…It was really scary, Yaku-san. At first, I tried to be brave, for Kuroo-san, but then the nurse took out this giant needle and I really thought I will faint right then and there! But the nurse was really nice and I thought about Kuroo-san the whole time…You were right, Yaku-san…I feel really good right now.”

 Yaku’s smile widened, as he looked down at Lev.

 “I’m glad…You should feel good. The doctor told us there are big chances for Kuroo to recover fully soon. You’re a hero Lev.”

 Lev smiled tiredly and sighted, closing his eyes in relief.

 “That’s great to hear.” He said, mostly to him self, before look at Yaku again. “I’m happy that you came too, Yaku-san. You know, I was a bit concerned since yesterday. I thought you might hate me…But you were really nice today. Thanks, Yaku-san.”

Yaku felt his smile slowly drop from his face and he tried to look anywhere else but Lev. He understood what the other meant. He had acted more than terrible towards him ever since he came. He couldn’t explain his behavior either. Maybe it was because today, he saw a different side of Lev’s. Today he wasn’t the cocky novice, who pushed his nose in everything he could find. Today Yaku had seen Lev scared, he saw him concerned, he saw him crying. And above all, today Yaku had learned that Lev had the biggest heart of all the people he knew. He didn’t even think twice before offering to help Kuroo, no double thoughts lingered in his mind and he didn’t even think about being praised after. He did something so big out of his own will, because he wanted to do something good, because he wanted to help. That was a different side of Lev, probably the real Haiba Lev, and Yaku found him self quite liking that side of him.

 “You’re welcome, Lev…” he heard him self whispering in return, though he wasn’t really sure if Lev had heard him. He actually hoped he hadn’t.

 Soon, the same nurse walked in and Yaku saw her holding a plain chocolate bar in hand.

 ---

 The morning came quickly, but despite their hopes, held nothing good. Yaku had barely slept that night, too concerned about Kuroo to keep his eyes closed for more than five minutes. The thought of what Kenma was doing bothered him as well and he found him self calling Bokuto and Akaashi numerous times, asking about him. The two had spent the night in a similar way and in the morning, when they met in the hospital, Bokuto looked just as sleep deprived as him.

 Akaashi and Kenma were already there when Yaku came and Bokuto told him that they had spent almost the whole night there, Kenma refusing to go back home until Kuroo was awake. Yaku couldn’t bring him self to tell him anything by that point, so he just left him do as he pleased. He wasn’t a baby. He could think and act for him self. He was probably smarter than any of them, so Yaku really didn’t want to get into any fights with him that early in the morning.

 He and Bokuto were just talking about going to the department and checking how things were going sometimes later, when the doctor from yesterday called them in his office to discuss some important matter. Kenma had wanted to go too, but Yaku and Bokuto made him stay with Akaashi. Bokuto even made a swift lie that they weren’t going to talk about Kuroo, but about his stay at the hospital and some other trivial things regarding the operation and his future recovery. Weather Kenma had believed him or not, Yaku will never be sure, but he sat down beside Akaashi again.

 The doctor led them into a clean and tidy office, with a large window behind his desk desk. From the window, the two investigators could see the parking lot in front of the hospital a bit of the street. They could hear the sound of the early traffic, so typical for the Tokyo mornings.

 When the three walked in the office, the doctor sat down heavily behind his desk and motioned for Bokuto and Yaku to sit on the chairs in front of it.

 “I actually wanted to talk about this with Kozume-san, but Akaashi-san told me to wait for you.” The man began, looking at the two intensely. “The reason I called you is that Kuroo-san’s state has taken a turn towards the worse. His blood pressure dropped dangerously low around five this morning. Not only that, but there might be a possibility that the internal bleeding has resumed…”  
 “But didn’t you say you stopped the bleeding yesterday?!” Bokuto loudly said, making the doctor frown.

 “I told you yesterday that the following hours are crucial! I never said he will positively get better. We took him out of anesthesia. We’re waiting for him to wake up, but there’s no guaranty that he will. If anything, there’s a high chance that he won’t, or even if he does, there’s no telling what the consequences from the loss of so much blood could be.”

 “That’s something I don’t understand…” Yaku slowly said, looking at the doctor with confusion. “Aside from not waking up at all, what’s the worst that could happen when… _if_   he does?”

 “There are several options. Due to the internal bleeding, the effected organs from the two shot wounds, such as his liver, might suffer failure. Paralysis of the lower body, or, if we fail to detect the internal bleeding in time and stop it, the patient might go into shock, which may cause comatose. We can’t really tell what will happen if he does wake up. For now, the worst that can happen is for him not to wake up at all. We’re trying to prevent that, but our job isn’t a hundred percent certain. I called you to tell you about these possibilities.”

 “But there is a chance he’ll wake up and be healthy, right?” Bokuto asked quietly, still not able to fully understand what the doctor was telling them. “How big is _that_ chance?”

 “I would say…quite small, compared to the others.” The doctor answered after a moment of hesitation. “But despite that, we’ll work for the best and hope for it.”

 “Then work for it, God damn it…” Bokuto said through gritted teeth, not looking at the doctor. “Fucking wake him up already.”

 “Bokuto, that’s what he’s trying to explain.” Yaku said, turning towards his colleague. After Bokuto refused to look at him or speak again, Yaku turned towards the doctor. “Is there really nothing you can do? We can just wait?”

 “I’m sad to admit it, but that’s our only option for now.”

 Yaku leaned back against the chair and looked over the doctor’s shoulder, out of the window. His eyes were met with the cold, depressing scenery of the autumn morning.

 ---

 Akaashi didn’t trust the tall and lanky person who came, claiming he wanted to see Yaku. Despite his doubts, Kenma seemed to accept his presence. Akaashi knew Kenma didn’t like new people and that he felt uneasy when alone with them, so when he turned to him, asking if he could go to the cafeteria and get him something to drink, Akaashi was left wondering what could have caused his sudden change. He didn’t question him however and instead nodded, standing up and walking past the tall stranger and towards the hospitals cafeteria.

 When Kenma was sure Akaashi was gone, he motioned for Lev to sit beside him. He had learned his name yesterday while talking to Bokuto. Haiba Lev, a novice in the department. And despite being just a novice, he had helped Kuroo without a second thought. He had learned everything from Bokuto.

 “Erm…Kenma-san, right? How’s Kuroo-san?” Lev cautiously asked after the silence between them got too deep for his liking.

 “There’s no change.” Kenma said with a short shrug. “Yaku-kun and Bokuto-san are talking with the doctor now.”

 “I see…” Lev sighted in relief and smiled at Kenma. “By the way, I’m Haiba Lev! This is the first time we talk, yes?”

 “I know who you are. Bokuto-san told me.” Kenma flatly said, toying with the hem of his jacket.

 “Is that so? All I know is that your Kuroo-san’s boyfriend…”

 Kenma didn’t replay. He stayed fairly silent for another minute, before looking at Lev from the corner of his eye.

 “I wanted to thank you…” he softly said, “You saved Kuro.”

 Lev felt a soft blush creep over his cheeks and neck and he quickly looked away from Kenma, rubbing his neck.

 “That was nothing.” He said with a wave of his hand, “I was actually terrified! But Yaku-san’s words kept me going! I’m happy I did what I did!”

 “You work in their department, right?” Kenma started again, voice just as flat as before. “You must know who did this to Kuro.”

 Lev’s smile fell, as he looked at Kenma.

 “Well…I’m not really sure anyone knows. I went to the department before coming here and asked Matsukawa-san, but he couldn’t tell me anything. I’m guessing that this is either a revenge on Kuroo-san him self or that the culprit was aiming not only at him. Until we get more evidence, we won’t know how to proceed.”

 For a moment, Kenma seemed to be in thought, before he looked at Lev. Somehow, his determined gaze made Lev shiver.

 “What if I told you…I know who might have done it?”

 “What do you mean, Kenma-san?”

 Lev’s eyes widened at Kenma’s words, while Kenma only sighted.

 “I think I have a suspect for you. Do you want to help me with something?”

 Lev quickly nodded and stood up when Kenma did.

 “Did you came with a car?” after another furious nod from Lev, Kenma headed towards the end of the hall, looking around for Akaashi. When he saw that he was nowhere in sight, he turned back towards Lev. “I want you to take me somewhere. Hurry up, before Akaashi shows up.”

 Lev felt his stomach clench in anticipation, as he followed Kenma out of the hospital. He felt as if he was about to do something big, but in the same time, he had a bad feeling.

On the way to the hospital Lev had taken one of the department’s cars (he reminded him self to give Inuoka the keys later), so transport wasn’t a problem. The only thing that still bothered him was what Kenma had in mind and what he was getting him self into. When the two got in the car and buckled their seatbelts, Lev looked at Kenma.

 “Where are we going, Kenma-san?” he asked, ready to start the car.

 “You drive down the street, I’ll give you directions.” Was everything Kenma said, before falling silent, looking out of the side window and resting his chin on his hand. Deciding that would be only answer Lev would get out of him for today he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

 Kenma was quiet for most of the time, unless he gave Lev directions. Soft _left_ s and _right_ s every few minutes. Lev had no idea where they were supposed to go or what they were supposed to do. He really wanted to trust Kenma and do as he was told, but in the same time he couldn’t help but wonder what was about to happen when the two reached their destination.

 When the curiosity got the better of him, Lev glanced sideways at Kenma.

 “Kenma-san, can you at least tell me where we’re going and why, so I can write it in my report later?”

 Kenma only looked at him with a small frown.

 “You don’t need to fill a report about this.” He said, before looking out of the window again. “This doesn’t concern your department. It’s personal.”

 “But you said you might know who the culprit is. If it’s true, then we really do have a suspect, and I have to tell my superiors that.”

 “It’s just a feeling. I might be wrong.”

 “But still! If it’s a possibility, then I have to take it into consideration.”

 “I don’t want you telling anyone about this.”

 The soft ringing of Kenma’s phone interrupted their conversation, but before Lev could ask who it was, Kenma turned his phone off, pushing it back in his pocket.

 “Akaashi.” Was the only thing he said before again falling in silence, leaving Lev to wonder on his own where they were going and what exactly went through Kenma’s mind at the moment. He felt cold sweat gather on the skin of his neck in anticipation, as they drove closer and closer to where Kenma wanted to go.

 The last few directions Kenma gave led the car out of the crowded areas of the city, to a more dirty and cold neighborhood. Lev had never drove so far from his own neighborhood before, but he wasn’t about to question Kenma’s sense of direction. The streets became less and less crowded the further away from the hospital they drove. Lev again began to feel uneasy and he cursed his superiors for not giving him a personal weapon the day he came to the department.

 Suddenly, Kenma made him park the car in front of a big office building. Lev did so without question. When he couldn’t find a parking lot, he left the car beside the curb and turned off the engine. Beside him, Kenma had already taken off his seatbelt and was opening the door. Both of them got out of the police car and Kenma led Lev towards the entrance of the building, pushing his hands in his pockets. While they walked towards the glass doors, Lev looked around for any signs, which could tell him what the building was and what it served for. Asking Kenma would prove unhelpful.

 “Why are we here, Kenma-san?” Lev found him self asking, despite already knowing he’ll get less than a half answer, once both of them entered the lobby of the building, walking behind Kenma, who was by then walking towards one of the elevators in the far corner of the large salon.

 “I want to confirm something.”

 Without looking at Lev, Kenma stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the little green button to the side of the doors. Lev stopped behind him and waited, looking around the lobby. To his side he could see a door. There was a sign on the door, which read “ _Miura Hironobu, Lawyer_ ”. Before Lev could question Kenma further on where they currently were, the elevator came and the metal doors opened.

 Lev got in quickly, following Kenma, who pressed the button for the fifth floor the minute he got on. The elevator started to move smoothly up and Lev found him self waiting with anticipation for what was about to happen. He bounced softly on his feet, while Kenma seemed to be in deep thought. Lev decided against asking him what the matter was.

 When the elevator stopped at their floor and both got out of it, Lev found him self in a not very long hall. There couldn’t have been more than five doors in the darkened hall, most of which belonged to either a lawyer or a private detective. For a minute Lev frowned, observing his surroundings, as Kenma led him towards a door close to the elevator. The label on the door read the simple “ _Daishou Suguru, Drug Lawyer_ ”.

 Lev leaned towards Kenma, just as he was about to knock on the door, this time ready to force an answer out of him.

 “Kenma-san, at least tell me why I had to come here. Surely it wasn’t only for a quick transport.” He said in a hushed voice, trying not to disturb the silence in the hall.

 For a moment Kenma’s hand lingered over the door, as if he was thinking over his answer. When he spoke, his voice sounded as indifferent as ever.

 “I…Would never come here alone…Even for Kuro.”

 Before Lev could say anything else, Kenma knocked on the door. The soft sound sounded oddly loud in the hall and Lev actually flinched, as if someone would jump out of the flower pot beside the door and tear them to shreds.

 Just as Kenma was about to knock again, a hallow “ _Come in_ ” was heard from the other side of the door and without hesitation, Kenma opened it, stepping inside of the office. To Lev’s surprise, the room they entered was merely a waiting room, not exactly an office. There was a desk opposite to the door, behind the desk there was a window, covered with dusty blinds. On the chair behind the desk sat a young man, his expression sleepy and bored, much like Kenma’s. His red hair reminded Lev of Kuroo’s. The strands stuck in every possible direction, as if he had just gotten out of bed.

 “Is Daishou here?” Kenma asked and the boy behind the desk nodded his head towards a door to his right.

 Without saying anything else to each other, Kenma walked towards the closed door. Lev supposed that was the office of this Daishou person Kenma was looking for. He didn’t know why, but he started to feel uneasy again, as he followed Kenma towards the door.

 This time, Kenma entered without knocking. The office seemed just as simple and dusty as the waiting room before it. There was a simple desk, with two plain armchairs in front of it. There wasn’t a window, but there were a few green flowers in the corner. And finally, behind the desk sat a presentable young person, not much older than Kenma or Lev, with neatly combed light hair and wearing a clean new suit.

 When the two entered, the person, supposedly Daishou Suguru, the drug lawyer, stood up from his chair and flashed them a smile.

 “Well, if it isn’t Kozume and company.” He said in a sing-song voice, as Lev closed the door behind him and Kenma. “What do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

 When the note in Daishou’s voice took a turn towards the unpleasant and dangerous, Lev threw Kenma a quick glance. Surprisingly, Kenma looked deadly serious, as he glared at the lawyer, eyes dangerously narrowed and mouth set in a grim line.

 “It was you, wasn’t it?...”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I guess they turned my internet on quicker than I thought, so chapter 5 isn't done yet, but by a day or two, it should be! So...Finally introducing Daishou...I wanted to finally put him in the story so much and he turned out especially easy to write! I'm too lazy to look for mistakes, but my friend should clear them out once she has the chance! I'm thankful for your nice comments guys! Please keep telling me how I've done and correct my mistakes! Also, I've been thinking about this for a while, if I ever start making the characters too OOC, please tell me so I can fix it! Thank you very much and stay tune for more! ^^


	5. The Snake

_____

_“Part of his persona, he realized, was indifferent to any imperative but his own.”_

_____

 Despite the working heater in the office, Matsukawa felt cold. Subconsciously, he rubbed his hands together, eyes glued to the screen of his laptop. He scanned the footage he had taken from a security camera on the construction site where Kuroo was shot for any little detail which could lead them to a possible suspect. He had forced him self to watch the video from the moment of the car’s arrival, to the time when the ambulance came more than once, but despite the convenient position of the camera, the shooter’s face and the car’s number were to smudged to be made out. Even so, Matsukawa continued to watch the video, occasionally taking large gulps from his coffee.

 Iwaizumi stood beside the window, throwing short glances through the opened blinds and towards the street. The slowly sipped his hot coffee, reading through the report Hinata had brought them. The short orange haired officer had personally looked over the street and the grounds of the construction site for anything the shooter might have left and might be of use for their investigation. Sadly, there were no clues on the crime scene. If it wasn’t for the camera footage, there wouldn’t even be proof that the black car (supposedly a Honda with an unknown plate number) had even passed through the street at the time Kuroo had been shot.

 Right as Iwaizumi was about to turn towards his desk and take a seat on his chair, Matsukawa gained his attention with a small annoyed sound.

 “What are you looking at?” he asked, leaving Hinata’s report and the white coffee mug on his desk, before walking towards Matsukawa’s.

 The later only groaned again, rubbing his soar eyes.

 “You know that yesterday I asked the owner of the construction site if they had any security cameras, since there were none around the street. Well, turns out one of them managed to catch the entire scene, but it was too far away. I tried to zoom in on the car, but the numbers on the plate became to smudged to read.” Matsukawa stretched his arms above his head and leaned towards the screen of his laptop again. “The face of the shooter can be caught too, but it’s too blurry.”

 Iwaizumi turned the laptop so he could see the video him self before slowly nodding.

 “At least now we know that who ever shot was aiming at Kuroo specifically.” He said, studying the footage, “There were no bullet shells on the scene, judging by Hinata’s report, so he might have shot with a revolver.”

 “If the shooter was aiming at Kuroo, then we have two options. He is either the man we are looking for, or a henchman of his.”

 “Depends on who exactly got his eye on Kuroo…”

 “Do you have any ideas who it might be?”

 Iwaizumi feel silent again, rubbing his chin in thought before nodding slowly.

 “I actually have a pretty good idea, but you might find it stupid.”

 Matsukawa hid his sudden laugh behind his palm and looked over his shoulder at Iwaizumi.

 “This already looks enough like a mystery movie, no need to be shy with your ideas.”

 Iwaizumi sighted and looked back at the screen of Matsukawa’s laptop, where the video from the security camera played in slow motion.

 “I’ve been thinking about it since yesterday.” He slowly began, rubbing his neck, “Oikawa actually said something about it after I told him about Kuroo. He mentioned Daishou…”

 Matsukawa looked at him with interest now, raising a brow in question.

 “What could Oikawa say about Daishou anyway?”

 “Well, they’re pretty much business rivals now, so it’s normal for Oikawa to know this and that about him. You know how pushy he is.”

 “Agreed. So what did he say about Daishou?”

 “That we should consider the idea of him being a possible suspect. After the incident last year, he has enough reasons to do something like this.”

 Matsukawa looked away from Iwaizumi in thought.

 “I know Daishou’s a bastard, but isn’t this too much even for him?” he muttered and Iwaizumi shrugged.

 “I’m not sure. I told you, this is just an idea.”

 “But you might be right. It’s not impossible…Kuroo was the reason he got kicked out after all.”

 Iwaizumi didn’t answer. Mostly because Matsukawa wasn’t quite right.

 A year ago when Daishou Suguru still worked in their department as part of their newly formed team in the investigation unit the biggest case they were given was one resolving around a drug trafficking network. One of its subordinates had been killed in his apartment, leaving behind ten bags of heroin and other synthetic drugs, fairly new to the market. Needless to say that the bags with the white powder and the other drugs were taken to the department to be analyzed and left in the storage, which they were, until a week later they were gone. After a quick investigation, the one who was charged guilty was none other than Daishou, which dealt a big blow to the department. Iwaizumi didn’t quite remember how things had gone, but he knew that Kuroo was the one who led the investigation and who interrogated their ex-colleague. Aside from stealing important evidence from the department’s storage, there were also doubts about Daishou working for the trafficking network as well, but as far as Iwaizumi knew, those accusations weren’t proven in court. He was certain that, even if Daishou did work for a drug trafficking network and sold out information from the police, all it took from him would be a simple innocent smile and a few nice words to the judge to be proved free of charge. Ever since Iwaizumi had met Daishou, he had seen what a hypocrite and egoist he could be. Making sweet faces to the superiors, while doing what ever he wanted and acting like the snake he was behind the covers. That’s what kind of a man Daishou Suguru really was and Iwaizumi would never be surprised if he learned that the man in that black car, the one who had purposely shot Kuroo, was none other than his ex-colleague.

 “Do you think we can clear the image, so we can read the plate number?” Matsukawa suddenly said, taking Iwaizumi out of his thoughts.

 “I’m not sure if we have a person in the department who knows how to manipulate video footages like that.” He said, looking at the screen of the laptop again. Matsukawa had zoomed on the car again, but all Iwaizumi could see was a blurred black picture. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. “I actually thought of someone. Do you remember Kunimi?”

 “The kid who installed the new program last month?” Matsukawa asked, looking at Iwaizumi, who nodded.

 “He works on the lower floor. I’ll go ask him if he can clear the image.”

 “If it’ll make you happy, I’ll go see Daishou.” Matsukawa evenly said and stood up from his chair. Iwaizumi looked at him with raised brows.

 “Will you?”

 Matsukawa nodded and grinned.

 “If there’s anyone who would want Kuroo dead, that would be Daishou. I’ll pay him a visit, to clear out our doubts.”

 Iwaizumi nodded and headed towards the door. They had way too much work on their hands to afford lazing around.

\---

 The office was cold and the silence between them only made it colder. Lev could feel him self shudder in his seat on the plush armchair (which was far more comfortable than it looked). Daishou, the drug lawyer, sat behind his plain desk, resting his chin on his folded hands, as he stared intensely at Kenma, who, despite feeling more than uncomfortable, didn’t look away from him either. Lev’s eyes darted between the two, silently begging them to speak up. He didn’t want to be the first to break the cold silence.

 Finally, as if after a whole eternity, Daishou spoke.

 “I really don’t know what you mean, Kozume.” He said innocently, leaning back in his chair with a soft sight. “I’m deeply sorry for what happened to Kuroo. He didn’t deserve it. But this time I have nothing to do with things. You coming to my office and accusing me of such a crime is really insulting.”

 When Kenma replayed, his voice sounded oddly serious and angry. This was the first time Lev was hearing him talk in such a way. He couldn’t help but wonder what Kenma was thinking exactly and why he thought that someone like Daishou, who seemed to be just a normal man, doing his normal and boring work could be related to the thing that happened to Kuroo.

 “You’re really shameless, aren’t you?” Kenma said, narrowing his eyes, “You’re lying so freely. You’re the one who almost killed Kuro, right? Because he was the reason you got kicked out of the department.”

 Lev looked at Daishou then, seeing him narrow his eyes dangerously at Kenma. The temperature in the room as if dropped bellow zero. Only the air between Kenma and Daishou seemed to buzz with invisible electric sparks of hate. This time, when Daishou spoke, his voice was a lot more serious.

 “If I have to be a hundred percent honest,” he slowly started, drawing his words in a low hiss, “I would want to kill Kuroo more than anything. If I could kill a person, only one, without being sent to jail, that would be him. But it wouldn’t be because of what he did a year ago.”

 “Is this a confession?”

 “Does it sound like one? Sadly, it isn’t.” Daishou sighted and again leaned back on his chair. “I would never fall as low as to kill anyone. I have to think of the future, yes? If I do kill Kuroo now, just as I want no doubt that I will be imprisoned and maybe I’ll spend the rest of my days there. That’s something I don’t want, Kozume. Even if I do want to see Kuroo suffer.”

 “I still don’t know why you would say all of that about Kuroo-san.” Lev heard him self saying, not very happy to hear someone talk with so much hate about his superior, especially if that superior was currently fighting for his life in hospital.

 Daishou looked at him with a nasty smile, which made Lev frown deeper.

 “Wouldn’t you want to know, Beanpole?” he said, making Lev groan lowly, narrowing his eyes. “Sadly, that’s a story for another time. If of course, you’re willing to hear. All I want to tell you and Kozume now is that I would never do something so vile to an ex-colleague. Be it the one who took my job and left me broke.” Daishou again narrowed his eyes, looking at his desk, and Lev could practically feel the venom in his voice. Whatever good first impression he had of the lawyer, it was all replaced with the realization that the man in front of him was nothing more than a two-faced liar, who had a good way with words and could manipulate anyone he wanted in the blink of an eye. Those were the people Lev detested the most.

 “Are you lying?” Kenma asked with a steady voice, making Daishou look at him again. His expression was again one of sincerity.

 “I swear I’m not.”

 “Then you must know who did it.”

 Daishou blinked, eyes widening a bit in surprise.

 “What makes you think that?”

 “I know you well enough. Ever since you opened this office you’ve been getting all kinds of criminals out of jail. That’s why the sign on the door reads _Drug Lawyer_ right? Because those are the cases you work on. You know more people than anyone in the business. Surely you know who did it.”

 “I seriously don’t know, Kozume!” Daishou sighted, sounding offended yet again. “I surely know more people than I can count, but what makes you think they run around killing policemen?”

 “Because I know you, Daishou, and I know what kind of people come to you for help.” Kenma’s voice became dangerously low as he spoke. His fingers groped over the material of the armchair, as he stared into Daishou’s eyes, which by then had again became narrow slits. “You know who did it. And I’m sure you knew about Kuro getting shot the day it happened.”

 “And what if I do?” the lawyer hissed, “What if I know who did it?”

 “Then you’ll tell me. _Now_.”

 When Daishou started to laugh after a moment of silence and hateful glaring from Kenma’s side, Lev mentally wrote down another thing about his character. Part of his persona, he realized, was indifferent to any imperative but his own. He followed only the rules set by him self and didn’t bow down to orders from others. Daishou Suguru played _his_ game, a game he was painfully good at and a game in which he would always end up the winner. Kenma was a pawn in that game, one which Daishou manipulated however he wanted. Sadly, Kenma didn’t understand that just yet and hid behind the wall of his own accusations. The thought that Daishou had almost killed Kuroo, which automatically turned him into a filthy criminal, was enough to make Kenma feel superior to him. But Lev could see everything from a different side. He could see that not Kenma was the intimidating side in this conversation, but Daishou, and that he was slowly getting under Kenma’s skin, using the amazing control he had over his words.

 Kenma had gotten him self in a dangerous game, one which he would lose soon enough, and Lev could only watch.

 When Daishou laughed, Kenma lost his seriousness for a moment. His eyes widened in confusion and his shoulders shot up.

 “God, Kozume, who knew that you could be so intimidating!” Daishou breathed once his laughter died down, dramatically brushing a finger beneath his eyes, “To think that you were the one being intimidated the last time we met.”

 Lev saw Kenma flinch again, before regaining his composure.

 “If you have nothing to tell me, we’ll go.” He coolly said, making Daishou grin.

 “That won’t be needed.” The lawyer began, leaning his chin on his hand again, “I just might have some information for you. It all comes at a price though.”  
 “What do you want? Money?”

 “I’m not so poor to want your money, Kozume.” Daishou’s grin turned menacing, as his narrowed eyes ran over Kenma’s body, making him flinch and shudder, before stopping at his pale face. His gaze lingered there for a moment, as if he was studying his uneasy expression. “I had something else in mind…”

 “What do you think you’re implying, Daishou-san?!” Lev suddenly spoke, standing up from his seat and looking at Daishou with a mix of disgust and anger. Kenma looked at him with wide eyes and blinked in confusion, while Daishou merely looked over him with boredom.

 “What are _you_ thinking, Beanpole-san?” he said with mock surprise and offence, “I was about to say that Kozume would owe me a favor for when I need his help, but now, after my simple request was met with such an outburst, maybe I’ll give you the information for free.” With a short shrug, Daishou looked back at Kenma, “What do you say, Kozume? Want to work something out here?”

 Lev sat down slowly again, eyes narrowed as he studied Daishou’s expression. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kenma nod, cat like eyes narrowing once again in fake seriousness.

 “That’s the spirit.” Daishou said in a sing song voice, the syllables rolling off his tongue like thick honey. “You know, except me, a lot of people detested Kuroo. Not hated, simply _disliked_. He has a whole _Dislike Club_ in prison and, by some strange mockery of fate most of those people are my clients. Most of them though don’t hold personal grudges rather want to take revenge on the whole department.”

 “Get to the point.”

 “Alright, alright! Don’t be pushy, Kozume. As I was saying, quite a few names come to my mind right now. Like Sakusa, who Kuroo and that idiot Bokuto got in jail for something as trivial as drug dealing. Then there’s Sakijima, a good friend of mine. Numai. Akama. Takachiho. All of them are my clients. Want to write that down, Beanpole.”

 Daishou looked at Lev with a nasty smile again and Lev only groaned, looking down at the bare floor, trying hard to remember the names he was listing so he could check out them later.

 “But the people who dislike Kuroo aren’t only criminals, Kozume.” Daishou continued. “You have no idea how many colleagues from the department will say that they don’t like him. At first even Yaku hated him. Does he still work in the unit I wonder?”

 “Who would want to kill Kuro?” Kenma asked, paraphrasing the question.

 For a moment Daishou seemed to be thinking before answering.

 “I don’t know. Sakusa is most likely. But he’s out of Tokyo. That means it might have been a henchman of his. If it _was_ him, at least. The detective work is full of possibilities.” Daishou’s voice lowered, as he looked down at his desk again. “You know, Kozume. Before coming to the department, I worked undercover for the department in Nishitama. Our work is never a good one. No matter what you do, you always end up hurting someone, hiding behind the heroic name of a _policeman_ and _officer_. One thing I learned during my years on the job is that you have to lie to people. You sell them out in the name of your goal. You learn to read faces and tell between lie and truth. You don’t trust anyone. You get smarter…Most importantly, you don’t want the attention. Those are things valid for life it’s self, do you agree?”

 His eyes became slits once again, when Kenma spoke with a calm voice.

 “Daishou-san…The way you talk so much and say nothing is remarkable.”

 Daishou let out a short laugh, before again looking at him.

 “That got me good, Kozume.” He said with fake lightness in his voice, “And I really like the way you can stay so quiet until the time calls for your voice.”

 “Are you sure you have nothing to tell me about Kuro?”

 “I’m not a detective anymore, Kozume. I can’t tell you anything right now.”

 Kenma frowned before standing up quietly. Lev did the same, glaring at Daishou.

 “Then I’ll leave.”

 “You know where the door is.”

 Kenma turned towards the door of the office, before stopping. Lev looked at him, but couldn’t read his expression.

 “Are you sure you’re telling the truth?” he softly asked and behind him, Daishou grinned.

 “I would never lie to you, Kozume. You know I’ve always liked you.”

 Lev saw Kenma shiver before opening the door and walking out into the waiting room as quick as possible. Behind them, Daishou leaned back against his chair and waved.

 “See you some other day, Kozume! I wish Kuroo a fast recovery!”

 Lev closed the door behind him self and walked out of the office with Kenm. The red haired boy behind the desk in the waiting room didn’t even spare them a glance as they did.

 ---

 The two walked out of the building in silence, but once they got in the car, Lev couldn’t keep the questions he wanted to ask Kenma anymore. He turned towards him, after closing the car’s door, trying to look as serious as he could, while Kenma simply waited for him to start the car.

 “What was that just now, Kenma-san?” Lev asked, as Kenma took his phone from the pocket of his jacket and reached for the button to turn it on again.

 “It’s a long story.” Was the only thing he said in answer, making Lev bite his lip to prevent him self from accidentally shouting in frustration.

 “I can help you find the person who did this to Kuroo-san! You just have to explain what’s going on to me, Kenma-san!”

 “It doesn’t concern you. I don’t like Daishou…That’s why I wanted you to come with me.”

 “But why did you have to speak to him at all? What does he have to do with Kuroo-san?! You know, if you don’t tell me, I’ll just ask Yaku-san!”

 “Then go ask Yaku.”

 Lev saw Kenma frown and his thin eyebrows furrow in building up frustration and annoyance. When he finally managed to turn on his phone, he received a message notifying him of fifteen missed calls, all either from Yaku or Akaashi. Just as he was about to text them that everything was okay and that they didn’t need to worry anymore, he got a call from Yaku. Kenma wasn’t a big fan of conversations, be it in person or over the phone, but if he turned off his phone again, Yaku would probably go crazy with worry, being the motherly type he was. That’s why he decided to pick up, with great annoyance.

 “Where are you?!” Yaku’s voice sounded so loud over the phone that Kenma flinched, moving the device away from his ear. “I’ve called you so many times, why didn’t you pick up!? You got us sick with worry! Not only that, but Lev’s gone too! Where are you, is he with you?! I can’t believe you, Kenma, why are you acting like a child! You could’ve at least told Akaashi where you’re going and not just walk away without saying a word! But you know what, you’re a grown up person and you can do what you want! It’s not my place to scold you like a child and I believe you can make your own decisions. I’m just calling to _inform_ you that the doctors took Kuroo out of anesthesia and that you better get here quickly so you can be the first thing he sees when he wakes up. Of course, only if you want, but seeing as you ran away like that…Kenma, are you listening to me?!”

 “Who is it Kenma-san? Is it Yaku-san?” Lev asked curiously, blinking at Kenma, who’s eyes had became as large as plates, shining with something Lev recognized as a mix of happiness and relief.

 “We’ll be there in a bit.” Was everything Kenma said with a quivering voice before hanging up on who ever had called him. “Take me to the hospital. I want to see Kuro.”

 Lev nodded and, deciding that it would be pointless to continue questioning Kenma, buckled his seatbelt, before starting the car.

 ---

 When they reached the hospital and walked through the glass sliding doors, Yaku was waiting for them in the large lobby. He looked nervous and his face showed restlessness. Lev suddenly felt guilty for not calling him earlier. Who knew how worried he was (maybe not for him, but for Kenma, definitely). When he saw them however, he visibly relaxed and once Kenma approached him with hurried steps, it was obvious that whatever lecture he had prepared for them would be canceled for another time.

 “Where’s Kuro?” Kenma asked once he stood in front of Yaku.

 “They transferred him to a room on the third floor.” The young investigator explained with a soft sight, “We’re waiting for him to wake up now, but there’s no telling when that’ll be.”

 “Can I go see him?”

 “Well…I guess if you ask a nurse…Bokuto and Akaashi are still there. They didn’t let us in, but I’m sure they’ll let you if you ask.”

 Before Yaku could say anything, Kenma was already walking towards the elevator and Lev would have followed, if Yaku hadn’t stopped him.

 “Lec, can I have a word?” he asked in a serious voice and Lev nodded reluctantly.

 “Yeah…I actually wanted to talk with you too, Yaku-san. You say first.” He answered, looking down at his superior, as Yaku nodded and looked at him with furrowed brows.

 “Well…It doesn’t concern Kenma or anything else…It’s about Kuroo.” Lev nodded slowly, waiting fro Yaku to continue. “The thing is, the doctor called us and Bokuto this morning. Even though the blood transfusion went well and they managed to seal his wounds, there’s a big possibility of internal bleeding and worse of all…Even though he’s out of anesthesia, the chance that he won’t wake up is bigger than the one he will…”

 “But why are you telling me, Yaku-san?” Lev questioned, raising a brow, “Shouldn’t you tell Kenma-san? Why did you tell him that we’re waiting for Kuroo-san to wake up when you don’t even know if he will?”

 Yaku looked away for a moment, thinking over his replay. As far as Lev was concerned, his superior was lying to Kenma, and about something as important as Kuroo’s health. According to Lev, Kenma was the one who needed to know with certainty about Kuroo’s condition, so it made no sense for him to hide the truth from him. As it seemed, Yaku and Bokuto were thinking differently.

 “You don’t understand.” Yaku softly said, shaking his head, “There’s still a chance that he’ll wake up and if we tell Kenma about what the doctor told us, he’ll…he wont take it. We want to wait until we know for sure if Kuroo will or won’t wake up. So…Until then, please don’t tell Kenma anything. I decided to tell you because…If Kuroo wakes up and everything’s fine, then you’ll be the one to thank, Lev.”

 The idea of lying to Kenma and keeping something so serious a secret wasn’t very appealing to Lev. He was an honest person, it wasn’t as if he could lye, he just had problems keeping secrets. But he couldn’t say no to Yaku either. He had to think about the little chance Kuroo had of waking up, rather than the other. And not to mention that he didn’t know how Kenma would react when he learned that Kuroo might never wake up. He had build up the hope that it was a matter of time before Kuroo was back home and what would happen if that hope shattered? Lev didn’t know, but maybe Yaku did and that’s why he told him not to tell Kenma.

 Yaku’s words and concerns made sense to Lev now, so he slowly nodded.

 “I won’t tell Kenma-san, Yaku-san. Thank you for telling me.”

 Yaku sighted in relief.

 “Thanks Lev…” he softly said, looking back at Lev again, “You wanted to talk about something too, right? By the way, where did you and Kenma disappear? You got us worried sick.”

 Lev blinked in confusion, before remembering his words. He had wanted to ask Yaku about Daishou and his relation to Kuroo and the unit, but now, asking about something like that wouldn’t be good. It would only add more pressure to the already stressful situation. But then again, how could he explain where he and Kenma had gone?

 “Oh, I…I wanted to ask you about Kuroo-san, but I guess I got my answer already.” He quickly lied, trying to smile as Yaku raised a brow, “As if for what me and Kenma-san did earlier, he wanted to go out a bit…We…We ended up driving around the neighborhood a bit, that’s all…”

 “I see…That’s a bit weird for Kenma, but…If you say so, I trust you.”

 Yaku nodded and turned towards the elevators, as Lev sighted in relief. He quickly stiffened though, as Yaku looked at him over his shoulder.

 “Let’s get going. We’ll ask the nurses if we can see Kuroo.”

 Lev nodded and hurried after his superior, gulping down the nagging feeling he had.

 

 When Kenma walked into the hall a nurse had directed him too, he was met with Bokuto and Akaashi, sitting on a bench opposite to one of the rooms. When Akaashi saw him walk closer to them, he stood up and tried to ask where he had been, but instead of answering, Kenma only asked if he could go in and see Kuroo. Akaashi seemed a bit taken aback from the question, already angry with Kenma’s sudden disappearance, but when Bokuto assured Kenma that he could go in for a little bit, it was obvious that no answers would be given that day.

 Kenma opened the door Bokuto had pointed at and walked in with short, unsure steps. He suddenly didn’t feel ready to see Kuroo. He felt his fingers tremble over the door handle as he closed the door and gulped down the saliva in his mouth. 

 The room was clean and sterile. The walls were white, as was the tiled floor. There were three beds in the room, on one of which lay Kuroo. Kenma walked closer to his bed with small, unsure steps. Despite all his worries, Kuroo seemed fine. His breathing was soft and from his distance, Kenma could barely see the light rise and fall of his chest. A monitor beeped softly from beside the bed and that was the only sound which Kenma could hear in the room, aside from his racing heart beat. He walked closer to the bed, eyes expecting Kuroo’s face. He looked calm, too pale, but not dead. He looked as if he was in a deep, peaceful slumber. Kenma had never seen him this calm, mostly because Kuroo was a man of emotions. Whatever he was thinking or feeling would quickly project on his face, be it in a small frown, furrow of his thin brows or the tiniest quirk of his lips upwards. Right now, his face showed no emotion at all and Kenma found him self disliking that.

 There was a round stool beside the bed and when Kenma came closer, he sat down, feeling his legs suddenly weak. His eyes again landed on Kuroo’s face, happy to find no trace of pain there. Yaku had told him that it was a matter of time before he woke up and Kenma’s heart fluttered in the thought of that. He couldn’t wait to see Kuroo’s smug eyes again, looking at him with all of the adoration and love in the world. He couldn’t wait to hear his smooth, deep voice, which got on his nerves most of the times when he scolded him for nothing, but the way he called his name was his favorite sound in the world. Most of all, Kenma couldn’t wait to embrace him without fearing of hurting him.

 After taking a short breath, Kenma reached out to gently lay his trembling hand over Kuroo’s. He couldn’t help but shiver at how cold his skin felt. Kenma licked his lips, before relaxing again and running his thumb softly against Kuroo’s cold skin. He looked at his face again, sad to find no reaction. Still, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Despite the torture he had gone through the past two days, Kuroo was alive and would wake up anytime soon.

 Kenma felt hot tears gather in the corners of his eyes, as he continued to hold Kuroo’s hand, warming his skin with his own.

 ---

 When Yaku and Lev learned that Kenma was with Kuroo and that the nurses won’t let them see him any time soon, the two investigators, along with Bokuto, decided to head back to the department and see how the case was going. It wasn’t fair to just sit around while Matsukawa and Iwaizumi did all the work. Not to mention that neither of them got a day off and if a superior came to the unit to check on them and found them elsewhere, they could get in trouble. Akaashi promised to look out for Kenma and after receiving a quite forceful, and unneeded, kiss on the cheek from Bokuto (who said that he might not come by later and wouldn’t last without him for that long) the three investigators were on their way. Now one was in the hurry however, despite the knowledge of a possible punishment from their superiors and bosses. They even stopped for breakfast and to get some coffee. After getting something for Matsukawa and Iwaizumi, they were already set in going back to the department, without any unneeded deviations along the way.

 When they got to their department it was already past eleven and Lev felt a bit worried for practically skipping work in such a way, but Bokuto assured him that everything was fine and proceeded to tell him how he once skipped a whole day after he got far too wasted one night to go to work at the morning. Yaku of course, being the motherly person he was, began scolding him for his behavior and warned Lev about skipping work and that this was a special case. The atmosphere between the three was light and nice as they walked down the hall towards their office. There, the lightness their conversation had set was put to an end, as they walked in, being welcomed by the obviously angered Matsukawa. The investigator looked at his colleagues the minute they entered, shooting them down with a straight, unpleased glare. His eyes didn’t linger on the three of them for long, before he looked at Lev specifically.

 “You took Kenma to Daishou’s and talked to him about Kuroo’s case, didn’t you?” Lev stiffened at the harshness of his superior’s voice, stopping dead in his tracks. There was no way Matsukawa would know about the morning events, but Lev was a bad liar and he couldn’t keep secrets either. The panic on his face must have been obvious, since Bokuto and Yaku looked at him as well, eyes narrowing in confusion.

 “What are you talking about, Mattsun?” Yaku asks, looking back at his colleague. “Kenma’s the last person who’ll go see…Daishou. Not to mention that Lev was with him the whole morning and he said they just drove around, to relieve some tension. Right, Lev?”

 Yaku looked at him again with an insistent glare and Lev gulped, looking down at the floor as if he was a child being scolded.

 “Iwaizumi and I had a talk today.” Matsukawa started again, gaining everyone’s attention. “He mentioned something about Daishou and I said I’ll go pay him a visit. Guess who met me with a fake smile and started whining about getting too much visitors this morning. Now, Yaku, just try and guess who the others were.”

 Yaku’s brows shot upwards, before furrowing again as he looked at Lev.

 “You said that Kenma wanted to get out of the hospital and the two of you just drove around…Where did the two of you go back then, Lev?!”

 The harshness of Yaku’s voice made Lev flinch, not to mention he could still feel Matsukawa and Bokuto’s expecting glares on him self. Lying or covering up the already known truth wouldn’t be alright in this case, so Lev turned to the only resort he had left. Explanation.

 “Yaku-san, I didn’t do anything, I swear!” he began, looking down at his superior, “When I came in the hospital this morning Kenma-san told me that I can help with the case and that he had a suspect in mind, so I decided to go with him and see this suspect for my self. I swear I don’t know who this Daishou person really is, it was Kenma-san who did all the talking, so I tried asking him, but he didn’t want to tell me anything…”

 “You wanted to talk when you guys came back…Was it about Daishou?”

 Lev nodded slowly.

 “I wanted to ask you about him, since Kenma-san didn’t tell me anything. And I really thought he had something to do with it, since he seemed to know a lot about Kuroo-san and the unit. He even mentioned you, Yaku-san.”

 “And what exactly did you talk about with that snake?” Bokuto asked, stepping in front of Lev.

 “Well…Kenma-san did all the talking, as I said. He didn’t tell us anything, but he did mention something about Kuroo-san having enemies that weren’t necessarily criminals…” Lev heard Bokuto scoff, before continuing. “He mentioned some names of people who might be involved, but he didn’t say anything certainly.”  
 “Which names did he mention?” Matsukawa asked and Lev quickly tried to remember the names Daishou had listed the same morning.

 “He said a lot about a person names Sakusa, then a few more…Hiroo…Takachiho…But it ended up like a lie in the end though. Kenma-san got annoyed pretty quickly so we left.”

 “He didn’t tell me even that when I went to his office.” Matsukawa said with a huff.

 “No way it’s Sakusa.” Bokuto said with a shake of his head and looked at Matsukawa, “It might be one of his henchmen, if Daishou really is involved.”

 “Do you even doubt it?” Yaku quietly said, crossing his arms. “I can’t believe he could do something like that…”

 “Why?” Bokuto harshly asked, turning his attention towards Yaku now. “He could steal evidence from the police, maybe he even fucked the judge to let him off easy, why do you think that murder is something bellow him?”

 “But who’s this person anyway, Yaku-san?” Lev asked, having enough of all the mystery resolving around someone like Daishou, who seemed to be hated by most of his colleagues.

 Yaku sighted, but didn’t answer. Bokuto was the one who finally put some light on the question for him.

 “You wanna know who that is?” the officer asked, round eyes narrowing, as he inspected Lev’s face, “He was our colleague in the department, until he decided to play the police by stealing important evidence, consisting in a few bags of drugs, which could’ve put an end to a whole system of drug trading routs. He betrayed his colleagues and the unit and is now living happily by busting criminals out of jail, pretending to be a good hearted lawyer.”

 Bokuto made a pause and Lev flinched, not sure if he wanted to continue staring at the other’s eyes. He felt as if he was being judged, studied, examined... His superior’s glare brought him shivers.

 “Do you see now why Daishou’s a name which isn’t very tolerated in this office…” Yaku asked through a soft sight, looking up at Lev. He didn’t seem as mad as Bokuto, or at least his anger had subsided after Lev’s explanation.

 “I think we should look a bit more into the Daishou theory.” Matsukawa said after a moment of silence between them, leaning back against his desk. Despite his previous behavior, now he looked more like his normal self, calm and bit uninterested. Lev felt glad to see everything slowly coming back to normal.

 “Now we have a suspect…” Bokuto nodded, crossing his arms, “Leave it to me. You guys concentrate on the murder case.”

 Lev had almost forgotten that the department had another case on their hands and judging by the little raise of Yaku’s brows, so had he, for a bit. That only made it harder, even if Bokuto volunteered to take Kuroo’s case and leave everything else to them.

 The door to the office opened and when the four investigators looked back, they saw Iwaizumi enter, dragging along another male, who Lev didn’t know, but the rest of the department recognized as Kunimi Akira, their technology specialist. Judging by his expression he wasn’t doing his job with much devotion or interest. If anything, he seemed like he didn’t quite care if he did his work right or not.

 When Iwaizumi entered, he looked over his colleagues. He didn’t know what they had talked about, but seeing their serious expressions, it must have been something regarding either Kuroo’s case or the murder from two days ago. Whichever it was, their conversation had set a grim atmosphere in their office and Iwaizumi didn’t feel like questioning their behavior.

 “We managed to get a good view of the plate number.” He informed them, “I brought Kunimi so we can look at the pieces of paper again.”

 “If you have the plate number of the car, give it to me.” Bokuto said, walking closer to Iwaizumi, “I’ll go check it out.”

 “Aren’t you going to stay to see what’s on the papers?” Yaku asked, but Bokuto only shook his head.

 “My only obligation now is to find who threw my bro into hospital. Iwaizumi, give me number.”

 Iwaizumi passed the piece of paper he had written down the number of the car on to Bokuto, who only gave Kunimi a soft welcoming pat on the shoulder before walking out of the office.

 “I hear about what happened to Kuroo-san.” Kunimi said with a plain voice, looking at Yaku and Matsukawa, “How is he?”

 “He’s recovering. The doctors say he might wake up.” Yaku answered. “About the pictures though, how do you think you can see what’s on them? The paper is too thin and the counters of the images are too faded.”

 “There’s a program for image manipulation I’ve been working with lately.” Kunimi answered and walked closer to the first desk in his reach. “In theory, I might make out the image enough to recognize it. Can I have the papers?”

 The officers nodded and while Matsukawa brought him the yellow papers, Kunimi made him self comfortable on the chair behind the desk, turning on the computer there and waiting for everything to load.

 “Are you sure this computer will do?” Yaku asked, stepping behind Kunimi’s chair, as the younger worked.

 “It’ll do. You don’t need a strong device for it, it’s very standard.”

 Beside the desk there was a printer and beside it there was a scanner, for whenever needed. Seeing as it was already connected, Kunimi opened it and gently put the first, bigger piece of paper face down on the scanning glass. He pressed the on button and the three investigators could only watch him as he worked from that point on.

 Kunimi proved to really be a specialist. He examined the screen of the computer with concentration and never once stopped what he was doing to talk or rest. He seemed completely capable of doing his work and did it seriously, completely changing Lev’s view of him and his first impression. It seemed like he could even get irritated when something didn’t go as he wanted it, causing him to restart his work more than once. Soon enough though, the picture became clearer, the more Kunimi worked on it. The faded lines on the yellow paper became thicker, allowing the investigators bigger chances in making out the full image. The colors became better and the contrast between them grew. The faded lines formed a wall, a floor, a roof. The investigators were left amazed.

 “This is all I can do on the picture. Anything more will just blur the contents.” Kunimi said after a while, looking at his finished work.

 “Great work, Kunimi.” Iwaizumi said, inspecting the image, which was now a lot clearer that the one they had taken from the deserted tunnel.

 “I think I can make out a picture now.” Lev said, leaning against the desk, “It looks like a tunnel…”

 “Or part of a metro.” Yaku helpfully pointed out, “But then again, the floor is covered in something like gravel, and I don’t see any rails.”

 “There are a lot of things I can’t see…” joked Matsukawa, leaning over Kunimi’s chair, “But it looks a lot like the scene where the body was found.”

 “Yeah, now that you mentioned it.” Yaku agreed.

 “I think I’ve seen this image before, though.” Iwaizumi said, rubbing his chin in thought. “I can’t remember where, but I’m sure I’ve seen it.”

 “Maybe if you remember, it’ll put light on the investigation.” Yaku said, looking up at his colleague, and Iwaizumi nodded.

 “Thanks for your work, Kunimi.” Iwaizumi said, as Kunimi stood from the chair with a nod. “You can go now.”

 “It was a pleasure.”

 Was Kunimi’s only replay before he headed towards the door of the office, leaving the investigators alone.

 “Well, now we at least know what to look for.” Yaku said, looking back at the computer screen. “A tunnel.”

\---

 The week flew by quickly, but it ended with no good news. While Kuroo remained asleep in the hospital, his unchanging state leaving the doctors to believe he won’t in fact wake up, the department was yet again left against the wall. The irritation between the colleagues grew, as well as the tension. Bokuto had gotten nowhere with the plate number, but continued to search for it, even going as far as to pay Daishou’s office a visit (the lawyer wasn’t there and he didn’t bother to come by a second time). While his investigation was going nowhere, the others had nothing on the murder case. They could only wait for another call of some lucky witness and hope nothing bad happened this time.

 The week wasn’t bad only for their job. This time, the one who took the blow of fate was again Bokuto, but that blow wasn’t an injury. Everything started one cold Friday night, when Akaashi came back from the hospital. The two hadn’t been able to catch up on each other, Bokuto busy with the investigation and Akaashi taking care of Kenma, who continued to wait patiently beside Kuroo’s bed for him to awake. Not only they were busy, but whenever they had some spare time for each other, Akaashi seemed to distance him self from Bokuto. At first that didn’t bother the investigator, since he knew Akaashi wasn’t the type to seek or enjoy attention, but as the week’s end slowly came, he began to worry. Being the person he was, he turned the blame for Akaashi’s behavior on him self and began to look for the problem in something he had done or said, but nothing of the like came to his mind.

 That night, he was sitting on the couch in their living room, taking a short break from his work. He wanted to find some kind of connection to the car and Daishou, but nothing came out of that, so Bokuto began to search for the car’s number in various registers, unsuccessfully. When Akaashi came in the living room, he looked up at him and smiled, despite not feeling like it. He would always smile for Akaashi. But unlike him, the other didn’t smile back. He looked oddly troubled, eyebrows furrowing over his forehead and eyes looking anywhere but him.

 “What’s up, Akaashi?” Bokuto softly asked, his smile fading and turning into a concerned frown. “Something with Kuroo or Kozume-kun?”

 Akaashi shook his head and sat down on the couch beside Bokuto.

 “Bokuto-san…” He slowly started, unsure how to formulate his sentence, “I got a call on my way here…They want me back to work. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

 Bokuto felt him self relax. He had expected something worse, well, worse than this. Of course, he didn’t want Akaashi leaving so soon, not to mention that the other was the only one who could handle Kenma at the moment. But another thing was that Bokuto couldn’t help but think about how little time they had spent together. He didn’t want Akaashi to leave. He felt calm and relaxed around him, and right now, he felt most pressured.

 “Well…Okay…If you must.” He said, nodding slowly. Despite that, Akaashi still looked bothered and that concerned him again. “Who called you? Who are you going with?”

 “Konoha-san and Sarukui-san.” Akaashi answered quickly and Bokuto felt relieved that he was going to work with people he knew. He knew Akaashi’s work was dangerous and the people he worked with were of great importance if things got out of hand.

 “Well, alright. But is there something else you want to talk about? You looked troubled…”

 At his words, Akaashi looked at him and took a deep breath before speaking.

 “Bokuto-san, I wanted to tell you, that I’ll be moving to Chubu. To Niigata, where our department is.”

 Bokuto’s eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up in confusion and surprise.

 “But why?...” he quietly asked, suddenly afraid of the answer. He knew it was inconvenient, but Akaashi didn’t work as a secretary at the department in Niigata, his work wasn’t one which required constant filling of documents and reports and his presence there. He could do it just fine while living in Tokyo. That’s why moving all the way to Niigata was something Bokuto didn’t understand and that made him fear Akaashi’s answer even more.

 Akaashi looked down at his hands.

 “I decided so. It’s inconvenient living here, when all my work is centered in Chubu.”

 “But that wasn’t a bother till now, was it?!”

 Akaashi’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head.

 “My jobs keep getting longer…I don’t want you to wait for me.”

 “But why? You know I’ll always wait for you, didn’t we already talk about it?”

 “We did. But I just decided it.”

 “You can’t just decide something like this so quickly, Akaashi, and without talking to me first!”

 Akaashi looked as if he was having a hard time explaining him self to Bokuto. He looked oddly pressured and Bokuto guessed it had something to do with his colleagues from the Niigata department. Another stupid conclusion his mind jumped to was that somehow Akaashi didn’t want to live with him anymore. That their love so far was nothing and all the sweet words and warm night were just an emotionless game of lovers. That was something Bokuto couldn’t comprehend. Because, he couldn’t speak for Akaashi, but if he loved, he loved with all his heart and never lied about it.

“Tell me why, Akaashi? Why did you suddenly decide to leave?...Answer me, Keiji!” Akaashi flinched at the use of his first name and the tone of Bokuto’s voice, but he didn’t look up at him, despite the other’s insistent glare.

 “I’m sorry, Bokuto-san…That’s what I think will be better for both…”

 “What do you mean better for both?! It won’t be better at all! When are we going to see each other then? Are you saying…That you just don’t want to see me anymore...”

 “That’s not true, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi quickly said, looking at Bokuto. “It’s not like I don’t, just…”

 “Just what?”

 Bokuto narrowed his eyes and Akaashi shivered. He took a deep breathe, ready to speak, but the words were caught in his throat. Bokuto kept looking at him, searching for the answer in his dark eyes and pained expression with a glare, far too harsh to be his own.

 “Does it have anything to do with the way you’ve been acting lately?” Bokuto asked, after Akaashi looked down again. “You’ve been distant…You didn’t let me kiss you…You didn’t even let me hug you, even though you normally do. What’s wrong, Keiji?

 “Could it be that…you don’t want us to be together anymore? If that’s the case I…I’ll let you go…I don’t want you to feel forced in this relationship…”

 “That’s not it, Koutarou…” Akaashi softly said, but Bokuto couldn’t understand his behavior.

 “Then what is it?! Tell me, so we can fix the problem!”

 “It’s not like I don’t love you…You…You won’t understand.”

 “Try to explain it then! Did someone tell you something? Was it a colleague? What’s bothering you?”

 When Akaashi again refused to answer or even look at Bokuto, the answer became clear. The thing that bothered Akaashi had to be Bokuto him self in general. They had spent so much time together and the thing which pained Bokuto the most right now was that all this time the Akaashi he knew to just be a bit distant and closed actually had no real feelings for him. The one who cared for him and scolded him like a child, the one who made his bed warm, the one who he ate dinner with and went out on dates…Coming to think of it, Bokuto was the one who confessed first, so it wouldn’t be difficult for Akaashi to just pass their relationship as a short experiment. An experiment, which ended far too quickly for Bokuto and left him alone again.

 “I’m the problem aren’t I?” he softly said, more to him self than Akaashi. “I thought everything was right between us. I bragged left and right with the perfect relationship. Why didn’t you tell me sooner if you never wanted to be together?”

 “Because I wanted to be with you, Bokuto-san…”

 “Then why are you leaving me?!”

 Akaashi grit his teeth, looking down again. His silence made Bokuto even angrier. He stood up from his seat beside Akaashi and stormed out of the living room. Akaashi made no motion to stop him, despite wanting to. He didn’t have the strength to. He couldn’t believe what he had done and why, but all he knew was that this would be for the better. Bokuto needed constant affection, he needed someone beside him all the time, someone to praise him and push him foreword. Akaashi couldn’t do that. Not when he was away for most of the year. Not when he knew any day could be his last. He preferred Bokuto to hate him instead of mourning for him one day.

 Akaashi sighted. Despite what had happened, he needed to get up and pack his things. He didn’t want to leave anything behind and somehow, he knew Bokuto wouldn’t either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Heading sentence is from the book "Dark Lady" by Richard North Patterson. The character which it describes reminded me a bunch of Daishou.
> 
> Well..this came out quick. All I wanted to say is, that the last scene touched me deeply, since it's based on a personal experience of mine and I know Bokuto's feelings through and through. It was written quickly, but it has a deep personal meaning to me and I hope you like it! Next chapter will have a bunch of action, so I hope you have patience and wait for it! Also, does anyone think Daishou kind of resembles Izaya Orihara from DRRR?...I just...Couldn't help but see some resemblance while writing him.  
> Another important thing! Aside from the fact that I really have no time to look for mistakes and would politely ask you to skip them until I decide to reread the chapter and correct them, I would like to ask you if you would like to see the characters of HQ in another heartbreaking, Crime-Mystery AU setting? I've been meaning to watch the series Darker than Black again lately and I couldn't help but feel inspired by it (for those of you who don't know it, I deeply recommend it). Not to mention that a bunch of inspiration for me comes form this new series Bungou Stray Dogs (for those of you who have watched it, do you see resemblance between Akutagawa and Akaashi oO). So, if any of you want to see something like this, tell me in the comments! ^^ You readers are a lovely bunch, thank you for your support!  
> P.S. I changed the review.


	6. The Second Victim

___

“ _He wants those handcuffs he can come get them himself!_ ”

___

 

Monday came, bringing a fairly good weather with its self. The clouds made way to cold, autumn sunrays, draying the puddles on the streets and the droplets of rainwater from the trees in the parks. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t hot either. The perfect day to go out for a walk and enjoy the calmness of the neighborhood.

 On days such as this, if he didn’t have work to do due to some miracle, Kuroo would take Kenma out for a walk, even though he knew the later didn’t quite enjoy walking around aimlessly, with nothing better to do but look at his feet. Kenma had always taken Kuroo’s presence for granted. Not like he didn’t love and appreciate him, but he had always thought that, whatever happened, Kuroo would be there and everything would be fine. All those walks outside, the dinners and gatherings with friends, all those movie nights and cuddle sessions in bed or on the couch were such a normal occurrence, that Kenma couldn’t stand their absence now that they were gone.

 Yaku told him that it was a matter of time for Kuroo to wake up, but Kenma had stopped believing him. It had been around five days now and there was no change. Kuroo remained in bed asleep and Kenma slowly started to understand that he may never wake up. Even so, he continued to stay by his side, hands gripping his as if he would truly disappear if he let go. He needed nothing more than see Kuroo awake and he would stay in the hospital for ever if he had to.

 Soft sunlight came from the window in the room, but despite it, Kenma felt cold. He listened to the soft beeping of the monitor beside Kuroo’s bed and watched the soft raise and fall of his chest. His hands rested over Kuroo’s with a gentle grip.

 Suddenly, Kenma felt a soft movement under his hands. If he wasn’t waiting for that one movement, he would have passed it on as a result of his own imagination. His eyes widened in realization and he quickly looked at Kuroo’s face. Kenma saw his thin brows twitch softly over his closed eyes and he held his breath, expecting his eyes to flutter open any moment now. This was the thing he had been waiting for all week and no words could describe what he was feeling right now. Maybe, because it wasn’t an actual feeling. He didn’t know what it was, but he couldn't really ponder over it now. He waited and watched Kuroo’s face intensely for the slightest twitch or move.

 After the soft twitch of his eyebrows, Kenma watched with amazement as Kuroo’s eyes slowly opened. He saw him blink, slowly regaining his orientation, as his eyes looked around his surroundings with curiosity. As Kuroo finally looked at him, Kenma felt his heart stop. His grip tightened around Kuroo’s hand.

 “Kuro?...” he softly muttered, feeling his eyes water.

 “Kenma…” Kuroo breathed out and Kenma couldn’t believe how much he had missed his voice until he finally heard it again. “Where am I?...What happened?”

 Before he could question him further, Kenma leaned down and buried his face in the hallow space where his neck met his shoulder. He inhaled deeply, feeling his chest start to heave with contained sobs. Hot tears slid down his cheeks and met the skin of Kuroo’s neck.

 Stunned at first, Kuroo slowly tried to lift his hand and touch Kenma’s shuddering back. He felt tired and nauseous, but he still found strength to wrap his arm securely around Kenma’s shoulders.

 “Hey…Everything’s fine, alright.” He comfortingly said, memories of what had happened on the construction site flooding his mind. “I’m okay…Everything’s okay…”

 By then Kenma’s soft sobs had turned into complete crying of a mix of happiness and fright. It actually made Kuroo give a tired grin, as he tried to stroke Kenma’s hair, resulting in his fingers only softly combing through the edges of the other’s hair.

 

 About an hour later, when the nurses and doctors gave their consent, almost half of the police department of Tokyo flooded Kuroo’s room. First had came Yaku and Bokuto, Lev trailing behind them like a puppy. They brought him candy and flowers and Bokuto couldn’t help but praise Lev and tell Kuroo how he had given half of his blood for him. He laughed loudly, as Kuroo scrunched up his nose with an unpleased groan.

 “Great…now I’m blood related to an idiotic novice…How great.”

 “Don’t talk like that about the person who saved you!” Yaku scolded him, seeing as Lev’s shoulders actually slumped in offence, and pushed a glass of juice at him to drink.

 After them came Iwaizumi, dragging behind him self Oikawa Toru. Kenma didn’t know what to feel for the good looking lawyer. Oikawa was too much of a mystery for him and that was a rare thing for Kenma to say, taking the fact that he was pretty good with reading people. Iwaizumi wished Kuroo a quick recovery, while Oikawa left a box of Kuroo’s favorite fish on the little table beside his bed.

 “You have to eat if you want to go back to work, Kuroo-chan!” was all he said before Iwaizumi dragged him out of the room, making Kuroo laugh, while Kenma hid the smallest trace of a smile on his face behind his hand.

 A bit after their last visitor for the morning left, came the doctor, with whom Kenma hadn’t been able to speak much throughout the week. He walked into the room, just as Kenma was filling a glass with water for Kuroo, followed by a slim nurse. The doctor stepped closer to the bed and pushed up his glasses before speaking.

 “I see that you’re finally awake, Kuroo-san.” He said, as the nurse began writing down something on her clipboard. “We’re glad to have you back. You gave us quite the fright.”

 “Guess I was out cold for a while, wasn’t I?” Kuroo said in a joking manner, trying to sit up more on the bed and wincing painfully when he did. Kenma quickly helped him lie back down.

 “Don’t move too much now.” The doctor scolded him, “The stitches might open and you might start to bleed again. God only knows how hard we stopped it, so please don’t open up more work for us.”

 “I’m not the type to sit still, you know…” Kuroo tried to joke again, but the doctor paid him no mind.

 “How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere else than the wounds? You have to tell me about anything little which may feel out of order.”

 “I feel a little dizzy…But that’s normal right?”

 “It’s nothing concerning. It’s probably from the medicine. Anything else aside from the nausea?”

 Kuroo shook his head and the nurse wrote something on her clipboard again.

 “I hope your good recovery continues.” The doctor said with a lighter voice. “I don’t want you to tire your self or move around. I’ll ask Kozume-san to let you rest more from now on and not to let many visitors in for the time being.”

 “Are you trying to kill me with boredom, doctor?” Kuroo whined, but the doctor only shook his head.

 “You brought this upon your self.” Kuroo let out another hopeless sight and the doctor turned towards Kenma. “I hope you follow my order and let him rest for most of the day. Loud company or something which might worry him is forbidden.”

 Kenma nodded quickly and soon the doctor and the nurse walked out of the room. After a minute, when Kenma turned to leave as well, Kuroo reached out and grabbed his hand to stop him.

 “Stay a bit more.” He said softly, not jokingly or smugly, rather pleadingly.

 “The doctor said you have to rest.”

 “I rest best with you around.”

 Kenma sighted and sat down on the bed beside Kuroo, who tried to make some more space for him to lie down, but once he winced, Kenma made him stop. He took off his shoes and lied down beside Kuroo, careful not to hurt him. Kenma rested his head on Kuroo’s shoulder and sighted again, this time in content.

 “Does it hurt a lot?” he quietly asked and Kuroo nodded softly.

 “I didn’t want to tell the doctor, but yeah. But don’t worry, I’ll be fine now.”

 “You got us really worried…I thought…I thought you might never wake up…”  
 “I’m awake now.” Kuroo said with the smallest of grins and looked down at Kenma. “I’m sorry for worrying you…”

 “Just don’t ever do it again.” Kenma warned softly with the slightest hint of a frown, which made Kuroo’s grin wider, as he fought to hold in a laugh.

 “I won’t.”

 

 Kenma left for a while in the afternoon to get some lunch and something to drink. A few minutes after he came back there was a knock on the door and before any of them could say ‘come in’ Matsukawa and Hanamaki walked in the white room. Their presence made Kuroo lighten up, since after Kenma told Yaku what the doctor had said about their visits, the other had said that they won’t bother Kuroo and would come by again tomorrow. Kuroo loved Kenma’s company, but it felt lonely without his colleagues (especially his bro Bokuto’s loudness). Seeing both Matsukawa and Hanamaki was a treat.

 “Glad to see you’re settling in.” Matsukawa said, stepping into the room, “You turned this terrible place in a real hotel, huh?”

 “I do deserve the best.” Kuroo said with a grin, “Glad to see you guys.”

 “We’re sorry we came in a bit late.” Hanamaki said as he grinned, “Had a bit of work back at the department.”

 “Is everything with the case going smooth? What did I miss?”

 “Kuro.” Kenma said, gaining Kuroo’s attention, “The doctor told you not to think about work.”

 “I was just asking, Kenma.” Kuroo said with a soft sight, before looking meaningfully at Matsukawa. His colleague seemed to have understood him just fine, since he didn’t hesitate to turn towards Hanamaki.

 “’Hiro, I haven’t drank any coffee today, mind if you bring me some?”

 “I’m a bit thirsty my self, bring me something too.” Kuroo added with a grin and looked back at Kenma. “Can you go with him and get me something?”

 “Yeah, can you show me the way too?” Hanamaki said, looking at Kenma, deciding to play along. Kenma didn’t seem to be that stupid, as he looked the three over suspiciously.

 “You can get something from the cafeteria on the lower floor…” he started to say, but Hanamaki quickly interrupted him.

 “No! You should come and show me!”

 “Yeah, he’s really bad with directions.” Matsukawa added helpfully, getting a soft kick from Hanamaki in return.

 Kuroo looked at Kenma with a smile then.

 “Just go, I wont over do it, I promise.” He softly said and Kenma nodded, walking around the bed and towards Hanamaki.

 After the two were out of the room, Kuroo looked at Matsukawa with a serious expression. Matsukawa didn’t seem less serious, as he took out a plastic bag with photos from the inner pocket of his jacket.

 “First I’ll ask you if you saw the face of the shooter?” he said, giving Kuroo the bag with the many pictures they had printed back in the office, of both the car and the piece of paper from their case.

 Kuroo took the pictures carefully and shook his head.

 “I should have, but everything happened way too fast and I think I don’t really remember a lot of things.” He explained, opening the bag and taking out the pictures. He continued to speak, as he looked through them carefully. “Like white spots. I don’t even remember the car dashing by…Like a blur.”

 “Thing is, the department thinks this might have something to do with Daishou…”

 Matsukawa trailed off when Kuroo send him a glare.

 “I knew you would make that face…”

 “What face?”

 “ _That_ face.” Matsukawa sighted and shook his head, “I don’t like him either, but if we can prove him guilty, he’ll be gone for good.”

 “No way. We had a chance once, we proved him guilty, but he still slipped away. He has too many people behind him and a fairly spotless reputation. He’ll slip out again.”

 “He won’t if we can prove it otherwise. Stealing evidence is one think, attempted murder another.”

 Kuroo fell silent, his attention now completely occupied with the printed photos. It was clear that talking about Daishou irked and annoyed him, but Matsukawa had to tell him who they found as a possible suspect and why, even if it was something Kuroo didn’t want to listen to. Somehow, whenever talking about Daishou, Kuroo always took it way too personally and Matsukawa couldn’t understand why. He had asked Yaku plenty of times since the day Daishou left, but it seemed like even he didn’t know. Talking about Daishou was simply forbidden in their unit.

 “Those are a few pictures of the papers we found in the tunnel.” Matsukawa pointed out, seeing Kuroo frown as he inspected the pictures. “We had someone clear them out a bit, they turned out fine, I think. You can see a lot of things on them now. We think it’s a tunnel, like the one the victim was found at.”

 “What tunnel?...It’s clearly a sewer of some kind…”

 Matsukawa raised a brow and bent over to see the picture Kuroo was looking at. Kuroo raised a finger and slowly traced it over a line on the paper.

 “See, this here is a pipe.” He explained slowly and Matsukawa narrowed his eyes in desperation to see what he was pointing at. “They have such gas pipes in the channel under the city. It’s not a tunnel, it’s clearly a sewer.”

 “So you’re saying we’re looking for a sewer?”

 “Are _you_ telling _me_ that you think the murderer will take his next victim to the place on the picture?”

Matsukawa looked at him with a raised brow.

 “Well, maybe. Why will he leave the paper then?”

 Kuroo looked at the paper in his hand again and frowned.

 “I don’t know…But I see some logic behind your thoughts…”

 The two fell in silence. Neither of them knew what to say. That was quite annoying, since both of them were fairly talkative on regular basis, but ever since they got the case last week, no one really knew what to talk about or how to start a conversation resolving around it. If things went on as they were now, their superiors will decide to close the case in no less than another week.

 “There was this woman…Hanaoka, we talked about her.” Kuroo suddenly said, “We mentioned her name when we were revising some old cases to link to this one. Did someone go talk to her?”

 “We sent Hinata and Inuoka, but they said she wasn’t home.” Matsukawa explained. “Her neighbors said they hadn’t seen her in a while…”

 “For how long?”

 “Well, we sent Hinata and Inuoka about four days ago, and she had to be gone before that, which means…”

 Matsukawa stopped talking, processing the information. It was true that the department couldn’t concentrate on the case much with Kuroo in the hospital and that a lot of unneeded information had came during the last week, but Matsukawa wasn’t very sure he had spent enough time pondering over the reports of the policemen and his colleagues regarding it. For example the disappearance of Hanaoka Shiina. This was the first time he was actually thinking about it.

 Kuroo looked at him with a raised brow after he didn’t continue, blinking up at him with curiosity.

 “What? Thought of something?” he asked, but judging by the gleam in his eyes, he was already linking the disappearance of Hanaoka and their case. Matsukawa shook his head and took the bag with the photos from Kuroo.

 “I gotta go. I don’t really want to concern you with work the very first day since you woke up.”

 “You’re not _concerning_ me. This is my work after all. Doctors know how to overreact, but their useless all the other times."

 “You’re just saying that ‘cause they annoy you right now.” Matsukawa grinned and Kuroo huffed childishly.

 “Listen, Mattsun,” he seriously began, looking at his colleague with narrowed eyes. “If anything happens, if there’s anything new with the case or you need help, tell me, alright? I’m still part of the unit and I don’t want you hiding things from me.”

 “You’re the last person who can say stuff like that…” Matsukawa said with a sight and shook his head. Kuroo wasn’t pleased with his answer, his face gaining an expression of annoyance.

 “What does that mean?”

 “You nearly died, Kuroo. Just rest for a bit and trust us with the work, alright. I never knew you were such a workaholic…”

 “I never knew you were so concerned with work.”

 “I’m not even going to say anything.”

 Matsukawa turned towards the door, but after no less than three steps, Kuroo called him again.

 “I was serious about the case.” He said, sounding more than sure in his own ability.

 “I know. I was serious too.” Matsukawa answered, without turning to look at his colleague. He opened the door and walked out into the hall, almost bumping into Kenma and Hanamaki along the way. Kuroo couldn’t be more disappointed and annoyed with the situation.

 And above the thought of the new information regarding the case, the memory of Daishou Suguru lingered and that made him even angrier than being told to just rest and watch his health.

\---

 The next day Yaku came around lunch, to check on Kuroo and bring him and Kenma lunch. Bokuto and the others had to concentrate on the disappearance of Hanaoka Shiina (which by then had became official and was a pretty disturbing knowledge, given their current information) and sadly couldn’t come, but the doctor was especially grouchy too and wouldn’t let more than one visitor in Kuroo’s room, so it turned out just fine.

 Yaku sat down on the round stool beside the bed, as he watched Kuroo open the bento he had brought him. Unfortunately, Kuroo made a face when he saw most of the food was vegetables, but didn’t voice his distaste.

 “Thanks for the food.” He said instead, making Yaku give a pleased smile, before taking his chopsticks. “You really shouldn’t have.”

 “Hospital food doesn’t taste as good as homemade.” The ginger knowingly said and Kuroo nodded in consent. “I’m glad you’re doing alright. You look better than yesterday.”

 “I try.” Kuroo said and couldn’t help but grin. “It still hurts, but the doctor says everything’s going good. I’ll stay here for a bit more though.”

 “Listen to what the doctor says and don’t worry about work, alright. We’re doing just fine.”

 “Yeah, Mattsun already enlightened me on my current duties.”

 “I’m glad he did. You almost…We almost…”

 “Don’t fore your self, Yakkun. But Mattsun told me something interesting. He mentioned Daishou…”

 Yaku narrowed his eyes and Kuroo left his chopsticks in the half empty box in his hands.

 “We can’t get any proof, but we’re working on relating him with things.” Yaku explained. “The car from which the shooter shot turned out to be rented under the name Hiroo, but for now, nothing relates it with Daishou…”

 “There’s no need to concentrate on that with your case currently going.” Kuroo interrupted him and Yaku sent him a confused look.

 “Why? I thought you would be happy if we sent him in prison?”

 “I will, but today won’t be the day. Nor will tomorrow or the day after. He’ll get his when the times right, so concentrate on your case now, Yakkun.”

 “This is still a crime and it’s our duty to find the one who shot.” Yaku sternly said, despite not feeling like fighting with Kuroo in the moment. “Be it Daishou or an underling of his.”

 Yaku was about to say something else when his phone rang in his pocket. Kuroo looked at him with a raised brow, just as he stood up and fished the device out of the pocket of his pants. Matsukawa’s name was written over the screen and Yaku wasted no time in answering the call.

 “Hello, Mattsun…”

 “Yaku! We know where Hanaoka is!” Matsukawa interrupted him with a hurried and concerned voice and Yaku almost dropped his phone in shock. Kuroo must have noticed the change in his expression since he made a try to sit up, looking at him quizzically.

 “What is it?” he asked, but Yaku motioned for him to keep quiet.

 “Where is she?” he asked Matsukawa, “I’m on my way wait for me at…”

 “There’s no time!” Matsukawa interrupted him again. “We’re already on the way. It was just as Kuroo said. She’s somewhere in the sewers, we got a glimpse of someone dragging her down a ditch in a side street from a security camera of a convenience store.”

 “Where are you?!”

 “We’re on the way there! Just stay where you are, I’ve got Iwaizumi and Haiba with me.”

 “But…”

 “What’s going on, Yaku?” Kuroo asked again, his voice a lot more irritated, but Yaku didn’t answer again, concentrating on his conversation with Matsukawa.

 “Tell me the address and I’ll be there when you…”

 “Don’t mess this up and stay where you are, Yaku.”

 “What do you mean?!”

 There was a moment of silence and even thought it shouldn’t have been more than a few seconds, it felt like hours for Yaku and Kuroo, who kept wondering what was happening exactly. When Matsukawa spoke, his voice was as nonchalant as it always was. He sounded as if he was almost trying to conceal a yawn and that only made Yaku more confused and irritated.

 “It’s because if Yaku-san comes right now, the other humble detectives won’t be able to shine. Just stay where you are and trust us.”

 Yaku tightened his grip on the phone, before he turned on the loud speaker and set it on the bed beside Kuroo with a swift, angry movement. Kuroo looked at the phone then at Yaku, who sat back down on the round stool beside the bed and looked at his phone with narrowed eyes.

 “Keep us informed, I want to know your every move.” He ordered with a demanding voice, not very pleased with the outcome of the situation.

 “Roger.” Matsukawa automatically said, before falling silent, giving Yaku the chance to finally explain the situation to Kuroo.

\---

 Matsukawa left the phone in the space between the two front seats and turned his eyes on the road ahead. His hands gripped the wheel, as small drops of cold sweat formed on the back of his neck. Beside him sat Iwaizumi, foot tapping against the floor of the car nervously. Matsukawa couldn’t see Lev’s face, since he was sitting behind them, but he knew he was even more tensed and inpatient to reach their destination.

 Bokuto had taken another car back at the department and had sped up way ahead of them the minute he got behind the drive wheel. Matsukawa believed he was at the scene already with the few policemen they had mobilized. This was one of the little cases they actually needed police help with. No one thought that things would get especially violent, considering the victim was probably tied down somewhere in the sewer while the criminal had fled the scene, but it was better to be safe than sorry in the end. For a moment Matsukawa felt his heart skip in the thought that they might get them selves in a dangerous situation, but he quickly gulped down the feeling in favor of concentrating on his work.

 After another turn, the three made it to the street, which was by then crowded with policemen. Once Matsukawa stopped the car, Iwaizumi and Lev quickly got out and ran to where Bokuto stood with Inuoka and Shibayama over the ditch someone had dragged Hanaoka Shiina in.

 “Do you have a map of the sewer?” Yaku asked over the phone and, even thought his absence shocked most of them for a bit, no one questioned their way of communication.

 “We already checked it.” Bokuto answered, stepping closer to Matsukawa, who was holding the phone. “The water pipes run around this area, also a few gas ones, but their not main or anything.”

 “Send someone down there.” Yaku ordered again over the phone, before falling silent for a bit. “I want you to send Lev. Give him the phone so I can talk to him.”

 For a moment everyone, Lev including, was surprised at Yaku’s choice. Amongst them there ware some pretty capable policemen, excluding Bokuto, Matsukawa or Iwaizumi, but then again, Yaku wasn’t an idiot so there must have been a seriously valid reason for him to trust Lev specifically.

 “I’m positive I can do it!” assured Lev when everyone looked at him questioningly. “I’m not a complete newbie. I’ve done such things back in the old department, so I’m pretty confident in my skills.”

 Lev talked with such confidence, it was hard to not trust him.

 “Lev, listen carefully.” Yaku’s voice came from the phone again and Lev leaned down towards the device in Matsukawa’s hand, concentration growing over his face. “There’s a big possibility that the woman will be dead by the time you get there. I believe you won’t freak out, whatever you might see. If the woman’s dead, I want you to gather every clue possible and work around the body, alright? Bokuto, if you’re there, give him the needed equipment.”

 Bokuto nodded, even though Yaku couldn’t see him, and ran towards the car he had came with to get whatever Lev would need, in case they really were late already and work had to be done quickly on the spot. While he did that, Yaku again spoke up, his words were directed at Lev specifically this time.

 “Another thing, Lev! I forbid you from hanging up on me, got it?! Whatever happens, don’t you dare get too cocky and actually close the phone, or I’ll personally kill you later!”

 “Understood, Yaku-san!” Lev answered with a small grin, “We’ll keep in touch the whole time!”

 “Here, put this on so we can communicate.” Iwaizumi says, pulling on Lev’s shirt collar and attaching a microphone to it, wincing inwardly at how unprofessional Lev looked with a few buttons of his shirt undone in such a clumsy matter. “Don’t take it off.”

 “Everything you’re gonna need is here.” Bokuto said, once he was back, and pushed a fairly big black briefcase at Lev. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Lev nodded and stepped closer to the ditch, eyes locking on the thin metal ladder which led down into the darkness.

 “Good luck!” Inuoka wished him, as he began to step down the ladder. Lev nodded and, after taking the phone from Matsukawa, began to slowly climb down until his feet hit the concrete floor bellow.

 Once he was down, Lev’s nose scrunched up in disgust as the smell of the dirty sewer hit him like a wave. He could hear water gurgling somewhere close and he didn’t even want to know what kind of dirty things it brought with its self.

 “There’s a flashlight in the briefcase!” Bokuto yelled from above and Lev left the black briefcase down on the concrete floor, opened it and looked around for the flashlight. There were things like plastic bags, yellow markers, plastic gloves, even a little saw and a few stickers for taking fingerprints. Lev had a hard time finding what he needed.

 When he did, he turned the little flashlight on, closed the briefcase and stood up.

 “I’m going in, Yaku-san.” He informed his superior over the phone, shuddering at how loud his voice seamed in the cold tunnel.

 “Don’t say unnecessary stuff and just go.” Yaku sharply said, but Lev paid him no mind and headed down the tunnel.

 His steps echoed around the tunnel labyrinth making Lev flinch and shudder. The light from the flashlight skimmed over the walls and various pipes. Lev could hear the soft hissing of the hot water and steam in some of them. The loud screeching of mice and rats was like a nagging back noise and Lev was almost positive he saw a few furry rodents running around. He gulped down the unpleasant feeling and continued to walk around the sewer, desperately looking around for anything which could lead him towards Hanaoka.

 “Yaku-san, where should I go first?” he asked, tilting the phone closer to his ear, “Everything looks the same.”

 “Walk straight ahead.” Was Yaku’s short replay, “Look for doors.”

 “What doors?” Lev asked, almost failing to hide in a sharp laugh.

 “Doors which lead towards the little rooms reserved for the workers. You know, the people who come and regulate the pressure in the pipes and see that everything’s in order. Don’t act like an idiot! Find a place where someone can hide something.”

 “Got it…”

 Lev continued down the hall until he reached the main channel. He made a disgusted expression as he pointed the flashlight towards the dirty water, which flowed there. He turned the flashlight right then left, trying to see anything useful and to his surprise, a few meters to his right there was a small concrete staircase which led somewhere under his current level.

 “Yaku-san, I think I found something!” he hurriedly said over the phone, walking over to the staircase.

 “Be careful Lev!” Yaku warned and Lev slowly stepped down towards the metal door which he found in the end of the staircase. “Listen Lev, don’t do anything rash.”

 “I understand, Yaku-san…” Lev said quietly and reached over to the door handle with the hand he held the briefcase and phone in, while his free hand reached over to where his weapon was strapped to his belt (he had mentioned something about a personal weapon to Yaku once in the past few days and the his senior had quickly provided one for him, deeming it necessary).

 A soft push was all it took for the door to open, meaning it was unlocked before Lev came. He pushed it a bit harder and slowly took a step foreword. What he found was an empty room filled with all kinds of tools and a few pairs of dirty gloves. He took a deep breath and let it out loudly, again raising the phone to his ear.

 “It’s nothing, Yaku-san. False alarm.”

 “Then continue…” Yaku answered and Lev heard him sigh in relief.

 Lev walked out of the room and just as he was about to climb up the staircase and return into the tunnel, he stopped. A loud ringing noise filled the tunnel, followed by a muffled yell. The noise stopped for a bit before resuming and Lev understood he hadn’t imagined it at all.

 “What’s that Lev?” Yaku asked hurriedly, concerned with Lev’s silence and the shallow noises he managed to overhear.

 “Wait a bit Yaku-san.” Lev told him and quickly walked back into the tunnel, trying to deduce where the sounds were coming from. He took his gun out of its holster and started to run down the tunnel, following the flow of the dirty water.

 The more he ran the louder the muffled screams and metallic ringing got. When he reached the end of the tunnel, where it divided to two others, Lev finally found the source of the sounds. On the other side of the water channel, a few meters away, on the concrete floor sat a woman in her early thirties. Her mouth was covered with tape and her hands were bonded with metal cuffs to one of the many pipes above her head. She was furiously trying to free her self, but the cuffs held her thin wrists in a strong hold. When she heard the sounds of Lev’s hurried steps, she stopped what she was doing and looked at his direction with large, terrified eyes.

 “I think I found her, Yaku-san!” Lev told Yaku over the phone, before again looking at the tied woman with a reassuring and confident smile. “Don’t worry, miss! I’ll help you in a minute!”

 “Be careful Lev.” Yaku warned him, as Lev returned his gun to its holster and, with great disgust, walked trough the stream of dirty water, thankful for the waterproof shoes, which were part of the police equipment. The channel wasn’t deep or wide, so Lev made it to the other side quickly.

 Once there however, Lev made a great discovery. He had to know things wouldn’t be as easy as they seemed at first glance. Across the water channel there was another pipe, thinner than the others in diameter. The thing that made Lev frown was the way someone had bent it no more than a meter from where the woman was. He had probably used an instrument from the room he was before and that was why the door was opened. From the small cracks on the surface of the pipe Lev could see small drops of water dripping down, accompanied by the loud angry hissing of the contained steam. Lev wasn’t the best student and Physics was one of his worst classes, but he had a hunch that if the pressure continued to grow in that point, the pipe would blow up and the hot water which would cover the woman with the force of a pressure washer, accompanied by the steam, would turn her into a nicely boiled dish (figuratively speaking).

 “Yaku-san, I think we have a problem.” He said, after gulping down the saliva in his mouth. “Someone broke the pipe with the hot water and it’ll blow up any second right at Hanaoka-san’s face. What do I do?”

 “Listen Lev, first, there has to be some kind of crane on the pipe for the pressure.” Yaku hurriedly explained and Lev looked over the length of the pipe. Surprisingly enough, there really was a little crane on the other side of the channel. He quickly crossed it, listening to Yaku’s orders. “Turn it to lower the pressure.”

 Lev grabbed the crane and tried to turn it whichever way it would go, but in the next moment the little crane tore from its base on the pipe and fell in his hand. Whoever had tied the woman down there and had bended the pipe surely had done a bit of work on the crane as well. Whoever that was, he wasn’t stupid and was sure the police was onto him and would come for the woman before the pipe blew. Lev barely held in a curse from slipping out of his mouth.

 “The crane is broken, Yaku-san.” He quickly said, voice echoing in the tunnel. The hissing of the water and steam in the pipe grew louder and Lev felt cold sweat forming over his forehead. The woman on the other side of the channel must have understood what was happening by then, since she started to pull on her bonds harder than before (despite managing to only hurt her wrists), shaking her head in denial.

 “Okay, don’t panic.” Said Yaku, even though his own voice was growing louder in fear, “If you can’t do anything about the pipe, concentrate on getting the woman out of there!”

 “She’s bond to another pipe with handcuffs.” Lev informed him, looking around desperately, as if the answer will just come to his mind.

 “Then get back up and get some kind of tools or call Bokuto and the others.” Yaku said over the phone, but Lev only shook his head.

 “There’s no time for that! What if shoot at them? Will a bullet break them?”

 “Don’t! If she’s tied to a pipe, imagine if it’s a gas one! You’ll blow the whole place up!

 “Alright, try making something like a crack or hole in the water pipe so the steam can escape. Can you do that?”

 “I’ll try…”

 Lev licked his dry lips and ran to the place where the pipe was awkwardly bent in its self, cutting off the flow of the water inside. The pressure was steadily growing, as if in a tea pot. The loud whistling of the steam was frightening.

 “How do I make a crack, where should I do it?” he asked, panic growing inside of him, as he looked over the pipe for any place where it would be safe to break it.

 “It has to be somewhere close to the pressure point, where the pipe is bent.” Yaku told him and Lev was amazed at how well he was managing his voice as not to sound too panicked, even though it was like he was doing the work him self. “Take your gun and hit it with the handle, but not too hard or it might blow.”

 Listening to his superior’s advice, Lev took out his gun and pushed the phone in the pocket of his bulletproof vest. He took a deep breath and raised the gun, holding it by the barrel. Reminding him self to watch out for his strength he brought it down on the pipe, but only managed to bend it further. He grew even more cautious of his movements. The pipe began to quiver as the water pressure grew and Lev felt a pang of fear hit his nerves as he brought down the gun again, bending the pipe further. Behind him, the bonded woman continued to fight against the handcuffs, which made a terribly loud ringing sound as the collided with the pipe.

 “Nothing’s happening Yaku-san!” he yelled in growing despair, “It’s only bending further!”

 “Lev…”

 Before Yaku could finish what he had to say, the pipe began to shake with the pressure inside it. The whistling of the steam became louder and Lev knew it wouldn’t last long before the entire pipe exploded right at the woman. There were two options for him. Save him self or die desperately trying to save a woman who was simply bound to die. It was obvious that there was nothing more he could do, but even so he wanted to try at least once more before giving up. But he had no time and that was painfully obvious.

 Lev had only a second to turn around and, after a few short steps, throw him self on the dirty ground before the pressure in the pipe finally released its self, drowning the tunnel in white steam and boiling hot water. Lev covered his head and mostly his ears, trying to block out the shrill sounds of agony behind him. He shut his eyes tightly closed and waited for everything to finally end. If he knew this would happen, he would’ve shot the woman on the spot, saving her from such a torturous death. The smell of burning skin soon filled his senses and he thought for a moment that he was going to choke or throw up.

 Everything was over in no more than a minute. The water lost its power and now only poured down on the floor of the tunnel from the torn pipe. The steam also faded, but the tunnel remained terribly hot. Lev slowly stood up, but was too scared to look back, fearing what he might see. The woman was obviously dead now. She wasn’t making even the slightest sound anymore. Lev could hear only the dirty water, flowing in the channel beside his feet, Yaku’s voice, which was desperately calling out for him from the still working phone, and his own harsh breaths.

 “Lev?! What happened, Lev? Are you alright? Speak to me, Lev!” Yaku yelled from the phone and it took Lev a moment to answer.

 “I’m fine…But the woman isn’t.” he said with a choked voice and finally gathered up a little bit of courage to turn around. The woman’s body was burnt beyond recognition, as her hands dangled from over the cuffs, which were still in a fairly good shape, despite the power with which the water had hit them. Her clothes were sticking to her reddened and bleeding skin. When his eyes reached her face, Lev quickly looked away. He didn’t want to see her face. If he did, he would have troubles forgetting it later and this whole experience was something he really wanted to forget already.

 “Lev, listen.” Yaku said again, voice softer than before, “The others will be with you in a minute, they probably heard everything over the microphone, but you have to work quickly. You said the woman was bound to a pipe with handcuffs? We need them Lev, the culprit might have left fingerprints on them.”

 “Wouldn’t they have been damaged from the water?” Lev asked, breaths coming slower now and a lot less unforced as before.

 “There’s a big chance they wouldn’t be. That’s why you have to get them. There has to be a little saw in the briefcase Bokuto gave you, right? Listen good, you have to take it and carefully cut through her wrists.”

 “I’m not doing that!” Lev refused, shaking his head. Only the thought made him feel nauseous again.

 “You have to. Otherwise we won’t be able to even get the body out of there. If it’s not you, it’ll be someone else, but you’re the only one who knows how to do it so the fingerprints on the cuffs aren’t damaged later.”

 “I’m not doing it Yaku-san…” Lev refused again, voice less hard, but definitely pleading.

 “Lev, take the saw and cut off her wrists.”

 “I won’t!”

 “Lev, listen to me…”

 “Yaku-san, you won’t make me do it, damn it!”

 Without another word, Lev hung up on his superior and ran out of the tunnel, trying not to look at the burnt body behind him as he did. He crossed through the channel with the dirty water just like he had done before and hurriedly walked down the tunnel, suddenly coming face to face with Bokuto and Iwaizumi as he did.

 “What happened?!” Bokuto asked, his loud voice echoing around them, but Lev didn’t give him an answer, as he passed through his superiors.

 “He wants those handcuffs he can come get them himself!” was the only thing he yelled back at them as he walked down the tunnel and towards the exit of the disgusting sewer.

 In the pocket of his vest, Matsukawa’s phone rang furiously, but Lev paid it no mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is finally out! A BIG thank you to VivaldiChase for being my beta reader! ^^ I hope we can continue to work together, I really need some control or I'll miss a verb in a sentence again! XD So, one could just feel the "Bone Collector" vibes, but this scene was just one of the most great in the whole movie and I just couldn't o-o....Hope you liked it!


	7. Realization, Revelation and Acceptance  Part 1

___

“ _You have to fight through some hard days in your life to earn the best ones_.”

___

Akaashi’s work was closely related to that of the Niigata Police Department, but mostly the work he did, he did for the police in general. It all depended on who hired him and so far the Niigata police needed him most. One month he could end up in Osaka, but the next he could be send out of Honshu. Akaashi’s work was mostly secret. Working undercover was a big thing and it definitely lacked the shine most movies brought to it. If he had to be honest, he disliked it. But somehow, he was also appealed by it. He didn’t know why, nor could he explain it, but there was definitely something entertaining about his work. The danger gave him a pleasant buzz and filled him with adrenalin. Akaashi was a calm person who enjoyed the little things, but he couldn’t help wanting more of life, even if it was subconsciously. His work provided all the entertainment he needed.

 And most of all, his job took him away from his worries and busied his mind. To run away was something he really needed in the moment.

 Niigata was a bit colder than Tokyo and definitely rainier. When he arrived at the central police department with his long time partners Konoha Akinori and Sarukui Yamato (one had a hard time doing such a dangerous work with his back wide open), it was raining furiously. The weather only lacked the thunder and lightning. It perfectly matched Akaashi’s inner feelings which he tried hard to keep locked in. So far neither of his partners had questioned if he was alright, so he thought he was doing pretty well in doing so.

 When the car stopped at their destination and Akaashi reached to open the door, Konoha, who was sitting in the back beside him, surprisingly offered him his jacket to use as a shield against the rain.

 “Wouldn’t want you to get sick.” He said when Akaashi looked questioningly at him.

 “I’m not prone to sicknesses, Konoha-san.” He slowly said, eyeing the other suspiciously. “But thank you none the less.”

 “Whatever you say.”

 Akaashi climbed out of the car and brought the collar of his jacket up, walking quickly through the puddles and towards the entrance of the building, followed by his colleagues and mister Hatamiya, a young investigator in training who worked for the department and had picked them up from their meeting place.

 The inside of the building was warm, unlike outside. Akaashi didn’t get too wet while he reached the glass doors either. Once everyone was inside, Hatamiya led them toward the elevator. Akaashi had gone through the procedure and knew what followed. The young policeman would take them to the office of the department’s chief, Misaki Hana, who would proceed to explain the situation to them. She would show them photographs of the people they had to track down and explain their role in whatever crime group they would infiltrate. Akaashi was accustomed to playing a different role every time he was called undercover. It was part of the job. And every time he did it splendidly, since Misaki never failed to give him a character, which best suited his. He was actually wondering who he would be next.

 The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and from there, Hatamiya led them to a white door close to the end of the hall, where it took a sharp turn to the right. He knocked and when they heard the soft ‘come in’ from inside, opened the door and led the three colleagues in. As always, Misaki’s office was clean and every little paper was in order, as it was proper for a perfectionist such as her. When they entered, Misaki her self was sitting behind her desk, but quickly stood up to greet them.

 “I’m glad you made it so soon.” she said with a friendly smile and sat down. “You can go, Hatamiya-kun. I can explain everything to them on my own. Please take a seat.”

 Hatamiya bowed shortly and walked out of the clean office, closing the door behind him, while Akaashi settled on the chair in front of Misaki’s desk, followed by Konoha. Sarukui preferred to stay up.

 “I really don’t like using PI methods when it comes to solving crimes, but I guess we’ll need your help again.” The young woman began to explain, taking a folder out of a drawer of her desk. She handed it to Konoha before continuing. “This is the information about your work in detail. I’ll try to summarize it.”

 Akaashi saw Konoha flip through the contents of the folder, as Misaki took out a stack of photos from the same drawer of her desk.

 “A while ago we started getting reports about a drug trade going around the city.” The brunette began, setting the photos to face towards the investigators on her desk. “Complaints from neighbors and a few bags of drugs found after a raid of an apartment down town. We looked into the business and it turns out we’re dealing with a whole trade system. At first we thought it was operated by one of the gangs in the city, who have the habit of trading illegal stuff between each other, but they only led us to a bigger group of criminals led by this person.” She pointed a slender finger at the first photo, which was that of a pretty confidently looking young man, not much older than Akaashi him self, who had the look of an average town gangster put down perfectly, of what one could tell. “Terushima Yuuji. Arrested once for a minor robbery in his high school years. One the next photo is his right hand man, Bobata Kazuma. You’re going in as part of their group. The details are in the folder.

 “The bothersome thing is that it doesn’t end with them. They’re only underlings in a bigger group led by Satori Tendou.”

 When Misaki pointed at his photo, Akaashi leaned foreword to take a look at him. Satori Tendou, unlike Terushima Yuuji, didn’t look like the type of person to do anything related with crime. He seemed presentable enough on the taken photo, bearing an amused smile and honestly, his expression reminded Akaashi of Sarukui’s.

 “He might look innocent, but he deals with most of the gangs in the city.” Misaki explained, “Unfortunately, as we learned just before you came, Satori works for none other than Ushijima Wakatoshi. The president of Ushijima Commercial Company. His company reaches all the way to the U.S. but aside from oil and gas trade, he also transports illegal substances from here, to every part of the world. Unfortunately, we still don’t have enough evidence to start a trail against him. He is the head of a worldwide drug trafficking system and even so we can’t prove anything as it is now. We can only start small and get either Satori or Terushima in prison.”

 “I think we get the picture from here on.” Konoha said, throwing a last look at the folder in his hands. “Other details are in the folder, right?”

 “Your new identities, information on every single person in Terushima’s group we know of, the time when your work starts and its continuation.” Misaki nodded, “Everything is in the folder. Hatamiya will drive you to your hotel and give you the needed equipment. If you ever get in trouble, don’t hesitate to call the police.”

 “I doubt it’ll get so far.” Sarukui assured, “After all, this is a simple infiltration mission. We’ll be sure to have enough evidence to get most of Terushima’s gang in prison by the end of it.”

 Misaki sighed and leaned back against her chair.

 “I hope you do. We’ve tried for more than a month now and despite the work of capable people, this guy and Satori keep slipping away.”

 “It’s because your methods are wrong.” Akaashi said, standing up from his chair. “But it’s our job to help and that’s what we will do Misaki-san.”

 The brunette didn’t seem very pleased with Akaashi’s words but didn’t say anything. She stood up from her chair and walked them to the door. Outside in the hall, Hatamiya patiently waited for them so he could escort them to the hotel they would be staying at.

 “What was that back there Akaashi?” Konoha quietly asked him while walking towards the elevator. Akaashi looked at him with mild surprise, slowing his steps so Sarukui and Hatamiya could walk ahead.

 “I don’t understand, Konoha-san?”

 “It’s not everyday you choose to talk like that towards a superior.” The older explained with amusement in his voice, “You look down. Any problems we don’t know about?”

 Akaashi sighed and looked down at the tiled floor. When he didn’t answer, Konoha was already certain what the answer would be.

 “Something with Bokuto?”

 “It’s a really long story, Konoha-san.” Akaashi said his voice sterner now. Konoha had learned that that was a clear sight that he didn’t want to talk anymore. “Thank you for your concern, but it really isn’t anything. It won’t mess with my work, if that bothers you.”

 At his words, Konoha frowned and grabbed his forearm to stop him, as their other two colleagues continued down the hall. Akaashi looked up at him with confusion, but mostly hidden annoyance.

“It’s not because of the work.” He quietly said looking down at the shorter. “If there’s anything bothering you…You can just tell me alright. Or Saru, if you prefer.” Konoha believed that adding the last part was necessary, seeing as Akaashi’s brows shot up in surprise, before he regained his cold composure again.

 “It’s nothing, Konoha-san. Thank you for worrying.”

 From the elevator Sarukui called for them to hurry up and Akaashi quickly shook Konoha’s hand off of him, walking down the hall with hurried steps. He couldn’t help but be angry with Konoha. Whatever he had wanted to do, he had reminded him off Bokuto, just when Akaashi was starting to forget how much he missed him and wanted to hear his raspy and loud voice again. Without even realizing it, his colleague had brought back the bad mood he was trying to hide and as much as he tried, it wasn’t his fault if he was a bit snappy until the end of the day or even after. Despite that, he promised him self that any unneeded feelings and thoughts would not get in the way of his work.

\---

The whole afternoon, after everyone returned from the scene, Akane had been stuck with paper work. The mood on the entire floor seemed so gloomy and everyone had been yelling and cursing all day. All the people Akane knew as laid back and cheerful were now angry and frustrated. Even her brother refused to go into details about what had happened, but Akane learned everything from the reports. She felt uncomfortable when talking with anyone from the unit that afternoon, mostly because no one looked like they really wanted to talk. Akane decided not to bother them further and just did her paperwork. By the end of her workday, she was just as frustrated as everyone else. She didn’t even know why.

 But one good thing that followed that day was Alisa’s invitation for dinner. During the little time which had passed between the day they first met and today, the two had grown oddly fond of their company. Akane couldn’t help but spill all she had bottled up during especially stressful days at work to Alisa when they talked over the phone at night. And Alisa, like the helpful big sister she was, had no trouble in giving her useful advises or just listening. Surely that was something her brother would never do, since he had no patience what so ever to sit down and listen to her mindlessly talk for more than an hour (she didn’t blame him, she wouldn’t stand her self either). Akane had a bunch of friends and her female colleagues were amazing as well, but she had never met a person with whom she had so much in common as Alisa Haiba.

 When her shift was over, Akane took her jacket and bag, before shutting off the lights in the hall and walking towards the stairs. She wished Fukunaga and her brother (who would be going home together that night) goodnight and walked out of the building. Even though she felt tired, seeing Alisa was something she had looked foreword to the whole week. She was a bit concerned with Lev’s presence there, but he had made them company most of the times Akane was at their house, so she didn’t see any problem. The entire afternoon however, Lev seemed to be more frustrated than any of them and Akane worried.

 Sitting behind the the driving wheel of the beauty of a car she had the pleasure of driving, Akane gently shut the door and started the engine. With a soft sight, Akane waited for the car to warm up before driving out of the parking lot and down the street towards the Haiba household.

 The night was pleasantly quiet. There were no signs of traffic for once and it wasn’t raining. People were walking around the streets, getting home from work or going out to enjoy the evening with friends. Akane slowly felt all the tension from the afternoon seeping away. She was never the type to stay angry or bothered. She forgot such unpleasant emotions fairly easy. Especially when she knew where she was going and who she was meeting.

 The rest of the short trip went by quickly and soon Akane found her self parking her car in front of Alisa’s house. The lights on the second floor were on, but those down stairs were out. Akane was expecting it, since Lev had stayed back in the department with a few other colleagues to continue their investigation work. The blonde stepped out of her car and locked it, before walking towards the garden door.

 It took Alisa only a moment to come down from the second floor when Akane pressed the doorbell and open the door with a large smile.

 “Akane-chan! I’m so glad you’re here!” she happily greeted and stepped away to let Akane enter.

 “Thank you for inviting me! Pardon the intrusion.” Akane said with the same friendly voice and after leaving her coat on the hanger in the hall, walked with Alisa to the second floor. “You have no idea how much I have to tell you!”

 “I can’t wait to hear!”

 The two girls settled in Alisa’s modern living room on the second floor and after the older quickly made them tea and brought some snacks, Akane looked at her with a large smile.

 “You won’t believe what happened today!” she said with an overexcited voice.

 “Judging by your face I think it’s something nice!” Alisa concluded and Akane nodded quickly before continuing.

 “Definitely! So, you know I’ve been talking about my brother a lot lately. I think our conclusions were right!”

 “You can’t be serious!” Alisa gasped and Akane’s grin widened as she quickly swiped her phone from her pocked. She pressed a few buttons and turned the screen towards Alisa who gasped again.

 “So I’ve been telling you how my brother’s been going out with this colleague of ours, but now it’s official!” Akane proudly exclaimed. “I’m almost positive he and Fukunaga-san are dating!”

 “Where did you take this picture, Akane-chan?”

 “I was driving back from work once and I saw them walking out of the movie theater!”

 “They’re so adorable together! Love is something amazing!”

 Akane nodded and pushed her phone in her pocket again.

 “Were you ever in love, Alisa-san?” she asked, watching the other take a sip from her tea.

 “I can’t say I have…Though, in high school, I constantly believed I was! Each week I would love a different person and actually believe my self! But of course, that was far from love. And you, Akane-chan?”

 “Well…I can’t say I have…But I’m eager to experience it soon!”

 Akane laughed and Alisa was actually left a bit discouraged. She had actually wondered if Akane might have some feeling towards her Lev, but as it turns out, no such thoughts had crossed her younger friend’s mind. She wasn’t very sure if she was happy or not.

 “And aren’t you interested in anyone now? Romantically I mean.” She asked again and Akane looked at her, a soft blush creeping over her cheeks.

 “I don’t really think there is…And what about you, Alisa-san?”

 Alisa smiled and shook her head.

 “There isn’t anyone for me either!”

 For a moment Akane looked disappointed, but after over thinking Alisa’s words, she smiled again.

 “We can start a Waiting for Love club!”

 The two laughed, but neither spoke about love during the rest of the night. Suddenly, the subject of love seemed a lot more uncomfortable than it was when it was first mentioned.

\---

 Oikawa Toru was a confident person. He had an amazing career and stable income, he was amazingly good looking and charming, he had the perfect relationship. That was why he liked bragging and talking about him self. Everything in his life went with the flow and so far he could say he hadn’t met any troubles. That was the reason he allowed him self to relax most of the time. He didn’t like bothering with unnecessary things or worries. Then again, there was something which could get him worrying any time and that was Iwaizumi Hajime. Or more specifically, his bad mood. Iwaizumi was always a rough to deal with character and he normally looked stressed and frustrated, but Toru knew how to deal with him then. Things got especially hard when Iwaizumi really was mad and frustrated and then Toru’s job became tougher. When Iwaizumi walked into their apartment that night after work, Toru quickly understood that something was wrong.

 Normally, Iwaizumi came home later than Toru. One of the perks of being a lawyer with his own office was that he got to choose his work hours. And Toru was originally on the lazy side most of the time, so he didn’t bother to stretch out his work days when he had no clients. Iwaizumi was home by half past seven on most days, but tonight, he had come home around eight. His foul mood could be sensed from miles away. The minute he took off his shoes and jacket, Iwaizumi walked into their living room and, after looking over Toru’s amazing collection of criminal mystery novels, sat down on the couch with a few books. Toru watched him as he began to look over the pages of the first book he had taken, obviously searching for something, but when he asked him what exactly, Iwaizumi didn’t bother to answer. He had always been a tough nut to crack, Toru knew, that’s why he wasn’t offended. Iwaizumi’s work was hard, harder than his, so he had the right to be mad and frustrated sometimes, when the pressure grew too much…But Oikawa Toru wouldn’t lose his man to any job, so Iwaizumi had to be careful just how engulfed in it he became. Toru needed no workaholic.

 Deciding that Iwaizumi wouldn’t answer him right now, whatever Toru asked or said, the lawyer decided to take a nice shower before starting up dinner. The two always ate late. When Toru was finished with his shower, Iwaizumi was still in the living room, looking through his books. Despite working as an investigator, Iwaizumi never really liked mystery or crime fiction. Toru didn’t either, but sometimes he just couldn’t keep his hands off of them. He preferred modern authors, while if Iwaizumi ever red mystery fiction he would no doubt choose something more Edogawa Ranpo orientated. Seeing him work with such concentration, Toru could no longer keep the questions to him self.

 Drying his hair with a white towel, he walked closer to the couch in the living room and leaned over Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

 “What are you doing, Iwa-chan?” he curiously asked, seeing Iwaizumi turn another page of the book in his hands.

 “Working.” Iwaizumi answered, taking a moment to rub his eyes tiredly. He didn’t look so angry anymore. If anything he looked tired and Toru frowned. No work was good enough to take so much of Iwaizumi’s attention.

 “On what?” he asked again, breathing over Iwaizumi’s neck. The other surely found that annoying, but said nothing against it.

 “A case.” He plainly answered.

 “Is it about Kuroo-chan?”

 “No.”

 “Then what?”

 “I don’t want to talk about it, Oikawa.”

 Toru frowned again, standing up straight and wrapping the now wet towel around his neck.

 “You can tell me anything Iwa-chan. I don’t like it when you overwork your self, but I hate it when you hide things from me.”

 Leaning back down again, Toru wrapped his arms slowly around Iwaizumi’s shoulders, giving the other time to push him away if he needed it. Iwaizumi leaned his head back against the couch and looked up at Toru, their eyes meeting. Toru’s gaze was insistent and Iwaizumi couldn’t stand it. He sighed and left the book on his knee.

 “It was a long day.” He softly said and Toru leaned down, allowing him self to steal a short kiss from him.

 “Tell me about it.”

 “We got a really hard case…No one knows what to do or how to proceed. The superiors are going crazy, the media will find out this time and by tomorrow you’ll be reading about it in the newspapers…Soon the whole city will know and the department will take the entire blame. It’s really stressful alright?”

 “Do you want to take a shower while I make dinner?” Toru offered, leaning down to kiss Iwaizumi again, but the later only shook his head.

 “I have too much work. We have to make some kind of break on this case by tomorrow and I just can’t allow my self to slack.”

 “You’re not the only one in that department Iwa-chan.” Toru said, narrowing his eyes. “Rest a little, or else you won’t be able to work properly and the effects will be the same. It’ll just be worse for you.”

 Iwaizumi left the book on the glass table in front of the couch and leaned back against the couch, allowing Toru to kiss him again. This time the kiss was longer and more passionate. Iwaizumi let all his worries melt for now, too caught up in the moment.

 As they kissed, on the table the book’s pages turned on their own slowly. The exact page Iwaizumi was looking for came into view for only a moment before the book closed.

 ---

 The night was cold and the city lights were bright. People were walking around the streets, some in pairs, other alone. Everything looked so colorful and happy, but Yaku’s world had turned gray after the afternoon events. He had left work earlier than anyone despite having so much to do. He had talked with his superiors about the case. The odds of the press learning about what had happened in the sewer were big and Yaku had to be ready for a press conference as it turned out. He really didn’t want to think about work anymore.

 Yaku walked out of the convenience store he had entered on his way home, holding a plastic bag of groceries in hand. It wasn’t heavy. Everything he had bought was worth only a quick one night dinner. Yaku really didn’t feel like cooking anything complicated. He walked down the street and towards his humble apartment, burying his nose in the collar of his jacket to keep warm.

 As he exited the more crowded parts of the city, Yaku found him self walking through the darkness and silence of the side streets. He didn’t mind it, he even preferred it. Seeing so many people around him so happy made him jealous if anything. There weren’t so many people around now, as Yaku passed through a park on his way home. He could hear the soft rustling of leafs and the sound of water from the little lake in the park. Yaku couldn’t help but stop and gaze towards the wide opened space, full of crisscrossing lanes, large trees and benches. Nothing looked the same after summer, Yaku realized. The trees were mostly leafless and he could see almost no one walk around the park lanes. It felt immensely lonely.

 Yaku sighed softly, his hot breath turning into fog in front of his face. Just as he was about to turn and walk away though, he noticed someone sitting on a bench close to where he stood. Yaku’s breath hitched, as he recognized Lev, sitting on the cold bench, under the yellow light of a street lamp. His shoulders were hunched and he stared absently at his feet, outstretched on the ground in front of him. Yaku took a deep breath and began to turn away, ready to continue walking down the empty street, but just as he was about to, Lev looked up at him. His eyes widened in surprise and Yaku saw them shine from the light of the street lamp. Yaku took a deep breath as he saw Lev rise a hand and wave at him. It was too late to go home just like that now.

 With a soft sigh, Yaku walked towards the cement stair case leading from the street towards the park. He slowly climbed down the wet stairs, thinking about what he could tell Lev. They hadn’t spoken ever since the sewer incident. Yaku had a hard time looking Lev in the eye and actually talking to him and Lev didn’t look like he really wanted to either. Yaku couldn’t believe he had made him go down into the sewer alone like that. He didn’t know things would turn out like that. He didn’t know Lev would get so upset. But then again, he had it coming. He would be upset too, despite being a professional. Human death wasn’t something one could pass by so easily. Yaku gulped, suddenly feeling guilty. It wasn’t Lev’s fault that everything had ended in such a way. It was all his fault. And his superiors had told him just that when he had came to face them the same day.

 “Good evening, Yaku-san…” Lev sheepishly said, still not looking at Yaku, as the investigator stood in front of him. “A bit chilly, isn’t it?...”

 “And it’s late.” Yaku pointed out bluntly. “Why are you still out?”

 “I…Wanted a little lone time.” Lev quietly admitted. “Everyone’s been running around all day in the department…It got a bit loud at some point. It’s quieter here.”

 Yaku gulped softly again, wondering what else he could tell Lev. Should he give him advise? Could he actually do it after he had been the cause of his worries and doubts? Maybe it was better to apologize. It was too late to feel prideful anymore. And Lev seemed really upset and guilty. Yaku didn’t want him to feel that way. Something like the thing which had happened today shouldn’t bring him down right at the beginning of his career.

 “Lev…I’m…”

 “I’m sorry, Yaku-san.” Lev interrupted him and Yaku looked at him in confusion and surprise. “You were right today. I promised you would act quickly if the woman was dead or if anything happened. I said I was ready and wouldn’t freak out. But I ended up doing the opposite…”

 “I’m the one who you should blame for that!” Yaku suddenly snapped, voice echoing in the emptiness around them. Startled, Lev looked up at him with large, confused eyes. Yaku grit his teeth, hands clenched tightly over his hips, “I shouldn’t have sent you there alone. Don’t you understand? I’m the one who acted unprofessional by sending a rookie on a serious mission such as this. Hanaoka’s death was the less which could’ve happened. What if the murderer was still there? What if _you_ had died too?!”

 “Just because I’m a rookie in your unit doesn’t mean I’m a complete one!” Lev answered, “I could’ve done a lot more! If it wasn’t for me, Hanaoka-san might have lived! But I got scared in the last moment and…”

 “It wasn’t your fault! Everything happened because I believed you could do something out of your ability!”

 “But I’m the one who promised I won’t freak out and do my job!”

 “And I’m the one who believed you!”

 The two fell silent. The silence felt oddly loud around them. The little leafs on the trees rustled with a sudden cold breeze. The wind ruffled Lev’s hair and he shook his head to get the short bangs away from his eyes.   


 Yaku took a deep, relaxing breath before speaking up again, this time in a calmer voice.

 “You did splendid, Lev.” He said and Lev once again looked up at him with surprise. “Despite the pressure, you acted professionally and did your best. Unfortunately, the murderer was a step in front of us. Lev…Do you want to help us get to the bottom of this case and get this psychopath in prison where he belongs?”

 Yaku outstretched a hand for Lev to take, but the younger only looked at it with wide green eyes. The investigator waited patiently.

 “Yaku-san…” Lev barely whispered, looking down at Yaku’s hand.

 He slowly reached up and took Yaku’s hand into his. At first he was surprised at how small his superiors hand felt in his, but despite that, it gave him a sense of security. Especially when Yaku gave his hand a soft, reassuring squeeze. it made Lev feel warm, despite the cold. Like when Yaku had stroked his hair in the hospital and when he had smiled down at him after the blood transfusion the same day. Lev felt happy that the first memories he had made after coming to Tokyo were with Yaku. His superior really had a soft side when it came down to it. Bellow the rough shell of a strict superior, this was who the real Yaku Morisuke was and Lev felt proud he was amongst the little who saw it. He felt like he could grow to like that side of him.

 Lev took a short, calming breath, and pulled Yaku closer. Yaku stumbled a bit, stepping between Lev’s legs and dropping his grocery bag in the process. He looked at Lev and was met with his own startled expression, reflected in Lev’s large eyes. His breath hitched in his throat, as Lev leaned closer to him. Heat crept over his cheeks as their noses soon touched, but Lev didn’t stop there. His tongue darted out between his lips to wet them and in a second Yaku found his lips pressed against Lev’s in a soft kiss.

 It took Yaku only a moment to register what was happening and when he did, he raised a hand to push Lev away. He took a step back and looked at him with a red face, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

 “What was _that_?!” Yaku asked, voice a bit too loud and startled. Lev blinked at him in confusion, pale cheeks just a bit pink.

 “I…I’m sorry, Yaku-san.” He softly apologized, “I just…couldn’t help my self, I guess.”

 “But why?!” Yaku asked again and Lev twitched at the loudness of his voice.

 “Well…I think I like you, Yaku-san.” He answered truthfully, but his honesty made Yaku frown.

 “Are you trying to mock me?” the investigator asked, but Lev quickly shook his head.

 “I’m not, Yaku-san! I’m saying the truth! It’s just…At first Yaku-san was really mean…I thought that was all I was going to get from you, but I still wanted your approval…Then, in the hospital you were so nice to me. You didn’t laugh when I said I was scared of needles and all of that…And you continued being so nice after that! You’re acting the same now. I thought I was lucky that you’re being so nice to me. It was like you were a completely different person. I think I like that person. That’s why I kissed you, Yaku-san, not because I was trying to mock you!”

 Yaku’s eyes widened as he heard Lev talk. He felt his face heat up even more and he suddenly felt really self conscious. He was positive Lev had no idea what he was talking about. Being nice to someone didn’t mean you liked them in such a way and Lev was certainly mixing two completely different feelings. No doubt that the result would be a complete catastrophe for both, but hadn’t Yaku seen a side of Lev he liked back in the hospital as well? Wasn’t Lev feeling something he had felt too? Whatever it was, Yaku felt his heart clench.

 “You’re talking nonsense, Lev.” He breathed out. “You’re confusing two different feelings right now. The fact you’re looking up at me doesn’t mean you like me in _that_ way. You’ll regret it after some time.”

 “I’m not confused, Yaku-san.” Lev said, frowning for the first time since Yaku had met him. “You can’t know something like that. I’m telling you, my feelings are genuine! Why do you have a problem with people liking you, Yaku-san?”

 “I don’t have a problem! It’s just that you feel something called admiration and not… _love_! I just don’t want you to feel sorry later when…” When he got too used to his presence in his life. Yaku wanted to say that, but he didn’t dare. All this time he had thought only about his career and work, never had he thought about relationships and feelings and that was mostly why he had stayed alone despite his friends and colleagues finding their other halves somewhere along the road of their lives one by one until Yaku was the only one still single and alone. If he allowed anyone near him now, he was certain there would come a moment when he would regret it. If he accepted Lev’s feelings and the two worked something out together, what would happen if something like today happened and Lev was forced to choose between life and death? What if the outcome turned out negative? What would Yaku do then? He was saving both him self and Lev from future sorrows and problems.

 “I’ll feel sorry when later comes!” Lev said with determination and Yaku couldn’t believe his ears. He looked back at Lev and could barely believe that the novice who he once detested with every nerve in his body and who could make him inwardly curse with every little breath was now basically confessing to him so passionately.

 “Lev, we can’t…What if something like the thing that happened to Kuroo happens to you? I won’t…”

 “If that’s all that’s bothering you, then this time I really promise that I’ll keep my self safe for you, Yaku-san! There’s no need to worry! Just…Let me prove that my feelings towards you are real!”

 “What if they turn out false?”

 “I’ll leave that to the future me!”

 Yaku felt him self smile and he tried to hold in a laugh. Lev couldn’t be serious. But then again, this was Haiba Lev, the loud novice who had bothered him ever since he came. The one who was secretly a good person with a big heart. The one who was scared of needles and who was ready to take a bullet for a friend. Yaku couldn’t believe what he was getting him self into.

 “Do you want to come over?” he asked and felt his heart beat faster when he saw Lev’s eyes widening in realization. “I live near by. I’ll make dinner and we can eat.”

 Yaku couldn’t hold in his short laugh this time when Lev stood up quickly from the bench, almost tripping over the plastic bag of groceries, which was still laying on the ground.  He could get used to this feeling. The feeling of warmth he felt now, when he knew he wasn’t alone anymore and could finally relay on someone else. It was good, he decided. Better than being praised at work and keeping a splendid career.

 Yaku pushed all the doubts he still had in some dark corner of his mind and walked beside the overjoyed Lev towards the stairs which led to the street. Behind them, the street lamp under which they had stayed flickered softly, before going off with a short buzz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter might have come out as a bit boring...Though I have been dying to write something with Akaashi and what he works and you'll see at least two more scenes with him until the end of the story! Also, I had fun writing Misaki-san! I just couldn't help but imagining her similarly to Kirihara Misaki from DTB xD It was fun to write. The last scene might seem a bit forced...I actually had a hard time writing everything which wasn't the Akaashi and Oikawa/Iwaizumi scene, I don't know why...Still, I hope you liked it!  
> Again, thank you VivaldiChase for your help on the spelling! Chapter 8 will be out a bit later, but I have free days this and the next week so I hope I still manage to get it out as early as this one!  
> PI - Privete Investigation or Investigator.  
> Edogawa Ranpo - a Japanese author, who had a great rolle in developing modern Japanese crime fiction (also the most pressious character in Bungou Stray Dogs, God bless his detective soul!).


	8. Realization, Revelation and Acceptance  Part 2

 ___

 “ _Falling in love could be like falling off a cliff, no water below but plenty of rocks_.”

- _Dean Koontz, Shadow Street 77_

_____

Yaku’s apartment wasn’t small, nor was it modern. He didn’t like giving money for unneeded things such as buying new furniture when the old was still good. He saved everything for when he retired. Lev seemed utterly surprised, but said nothing. The apartment was clean and tidy and everything had a place. It was something he had expected from Yaku.  
 Lev settled on the couch in the little living room, while Yaku prepared dinner. The two rooms were separated by a waist tall counter, so it was easy to talk to each other. Even though their conversation was more awkward than any had originally expected. The mood thankfully changed as the night went by and both settle on the little wooden table in the kitchen for dinner.  
 

“I should call home and tell my sister I’m going to be late…” Lev thoughtfully said, more to him self than to Yaku after the two were halfway finished with their food.  
 

“I didn’t know you lived with someone.” The investigator said in surprise, sparing Lev a look.  
 Lev nodded and smiled proudly.

 “When I moved back here, my big sister took me in! She’s really nice, you should meet her one day.”

 Yaku nodded and looked down at his food. He was certain it felt good living with someone, having someone worry when you didn’t come home on time. He was the type to really worry about people, but he never actually thought if people worried about him. Of course, there were the times when Kuroo would jokingly say something about how his boring attitude worried him, but he had never really thought if anyone actually worried about him.  
 

When they were done eating, Yaku took the dirty plates and left them in the sink. He wondered for a moment if he should wash them now or leave them for tomorrow, but seeing as there were no more than two plates and forks and the pan he had made the rice and meat in, it was better to wash them now then having to do even more dishes tomorrow when he was tired from work. Lev patiently waited for him to finish, sitting on the dinner table and watching him work.  
 

It was weird for Yaku. To have someone else in his lonely apartment with him. Knowing that he could start a conversation and would have an answer different than the voice of the news reporter from the television. That made him happy. He couldn’t believe how boring it actually was when he was alone for such a long time…

 Yaku smiled as he turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry his hands. He turned around, expecting Lev to still be on the dinner table, but was surprised to find himself facing mentioned investigator’s chest.  
 

“Is there something you want?” he slowly asked looking up at Lev, who had the most determined expression Yaku had seen in all his years of work.

 “Yaku-san…I’ll get straight to the point!” Lev suddenly said, making Yaku flinch. He frowned in concern as he stared at the younger.

 “Alright…”  
 

“I want to kiss you again, Yaku-san.”  
 

Yaku felt his face growing hot at Lev’s words and the other’s staring didn’t help him one bit. When Lev had kissed him earlier, he was too startled to even understand it. Now however Lev seemed ready to make their first kiss a bit better than before. But Yaku wasn’t sure if he actually wanted it. Things were going to fast. He had never really said he wanted a relationship with Lev, had he? He never said anything about kissing or living together or taking their relationship further. His mind raced and his eyes widened, as he stared up at Lev in disbelief.

 “You…want to?” he found him self slowly saying and Lev quickly nodded. He hadn’t lost his determination and after quickly thinking over the possibilities, Yaku realized that a kiss wasn’t something to be freaked out about. It wasn’t anything bad. It wasn’t like he hadn’t kissed anyone before. Being single didn’t mean he hadn’t fooled around before. But then again, this was Lev. Had he done something like this before?

 There was only one way to find out and Yaku slowly nodded.  
 

“You can, if you want.” He said and leaned against the counter behind him. He closed his eyes and waited for Lev to lean down.  
 

When Lev did nothing for a while, Yaku was almost ready to open his eyes and see what was taking him so long. Just as he was ready to see what Lev was doing, he felt the young investigator’s trembling hands slowly slide over his sides. He stiffened for a moment, feeling Lev slowly lean foreword, but quickly relaxed and let things happen.  
 

Only when their lips actually met Yaku understood that, despite his previous thoughts, Lev had no idea what he was doing. Sure, things were fine while the kiss remained soft and slow, but when Lev made a move to deepen it, Yaku slowly pulled away as to not disappoint him.  
 

“What are you doing?” he asked, barely containing the amused grin. Lev blinked down at him, cheeks unbelievably red.

 “What do you mean, Yaku-san?”

 “Have you…Have you ever done this before?”  
 

“Well…Once I guess, why?” Yaku hid his laugh behind his hand then, but quickly tried to regain his composure, seeing how Lev’s shoulder’s slumped in offence.  
 

“Why did you even start it then?”

 “Because I wanted to.” Yaku sighed and slowly reached up to ruffle Lev’s hair, as if he was a child. Actually that made him feel superior, despite being shorter. He could turn it into a habit. Not to mention that Lev’s hair was softer than it looked, so he really wasn’t complaining.  
 

 

“Lev, if you’re not prepared to do something, don’t do it. Otherwise it’ll be disappointing and unpleasant for both of us.”  
 

“But I really wanted to, Yaku-san!” Lev huffed, hands still resting over Yaku’s hips, “If I’m not that good, then show me.” Yaku felt him self blush and subconsciously pressed further into the counter.  
 

“I’m not so sure…”  
 

Lev suddenly grinned, eyes narrowing dangerously as he leaned closer to Yaku’s flushed face.  
 

“Why Yaku-san?” he lowly asked and the investigator felt his eye  
twitch, “You shy?”

 “Of course not!” he angrily said, pushing Lev away, “At least I know how to kiss properly.”

 “Don’t rub salt in the wound…” Lev groaned, shoulders slumping again.

 Yaku looked at him with narrowed eyes before sighing and reached up to grab the collar of Lev’s shirt. Lev was left a bit startled, after his superior pulled him down, and his hands automatically shot up to grasp the edge of the counter behind Yaku to steady himself.  
 

“You’re too tall for your own good, Lev…” Yaku sighed, lips only an inch away from Lev’s. Before the other could reply (Yaku knew he wouldn’t like what Lev would say and that would only lead to a ruined mood) he closed the little space between them.  
 

Yaku breathed softly through his nose and felt Lev tense. He slowly slid his hand from where he had grasped Lev’s bluish shirt to smooth his palm over the white buttons and the very unprofessional wrinkles, finally setting it on his side. His tongue slid over Lev’s lips and he felt him hum in approval, opening his mouth slowly. He didn’t dare move or respond just yet, giving Yaku the chance to take the lead. The investigator felt as if that would be best for both of them.  
 

Turning his head to the side so he could have better access to Lev’s mouth, Yaku slowly slipped his tongue between the other’s parted lips. Lev hummed again pleasantly, hands releasing the counter so he could again slide them over Yaku’s sides. The investigator sighed into Lev’s mouth and pulled him closer, making the younger almost whine at how far his spine was forced to bend. He didn’t protest however and Yaku quickly deepened their kiss.  
 

A moment later both separated, panting for breath. Their hot breaths mixed together between them and Yaku slowly reached up to wipe away the trail of glistering saliva which connected their wet lips.  
 

“That was really good, Yaku-san…” Lev panted, looking down at Yaku with wide green eyes. His surprise made Yaku momentarily frown.  
 

“Did you expect anything less?” he asked, crossing his hands over his chest. Lev almost laughed then.  
 

“You really are the best in everything Yaku-san, so I always expect the best.” He said, making Yaku huff and turn towards the sink again.  
 

“You’re such a handful…” he muttered to himself. It wasn’t long before Lev took his chance and wrapped his long arms around his superior, holding him in place. The closeness made Yaku frown and he tried desperately to turn and look at Lev, “What are you doing now?”  
 

“Hugging you.” Lev proudly said, as if he was the first person to ever hug Yaku or get as close to do it at least. His childish behavior made Yaku frown deeper before turning towards the counter again. He was still skeptical about how far their relationship would go, but for now, he could at least try and enjoy it.  
  
\----

 The bar reeked of smoke and alcohol, yet the décor was modern and it seemed like the meeting place of one of those rich members of society or their just as rich brats and underlings. The light was dim and it was full with people, most of which had to stand up, since the chairs around the bar and the other tables were already taken. Akaashi  
had no idea why the bar was so popular, but he didn’t need to ask anyway. He doubted it was because of the quality of the drinks or the cheap woman service.  
 

Pushing his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, Akaashi walked towards the bar. He felt numerous eyes on him, inspecting and judging him. He was a new face around so it was natural. Somehow when he was with Konoha or Sarukui the attention wasn’t so noticeable, but now he was alone and couldn’t help but feel in danger.  
 

Acting as calm as he could manage, the agent leaned against the light wooden surface of the bar and waved at the barman to come over. The young boy behind the bar acted quickly, despite how busy he seemed, and walked towards Akaashi to take his order.  
 

“What’ll it be?” he cheerily asked, yelling so his voice could be heard over the loud music, a grin spreading over his pale features and Akaashi really wanted to frown, but kept his neutral expression.  
 

“Whiskey on ice.” He answered smoothly.

 “You got it!” the young barman nodded and turned around to make his drink.

 “You’re not from here are you?”

“I came because I heard you offered good quality stuff.” Akaashi said plainly and the barman finally seemed to catch up to his train of thoughts. “Anything to offer?”

“Well, you’ll have to talk with boss Terushima about that, buddy.” The young barman said and slid the glass of whiskey towards Akaashi.

“You don’t seem like the type to be interested in drugs, buddy. Have it hard?”  
 

“That’s not really your business is it?” Akaashi sternly said, refraining from any actual answers, and took the cold glass of alcohol in his hand. He wasn’t a fan of drinking while at work, but being in a bar such as this one and not drink at least a glass of something strong would blow his cover before he went under it.  
 With ease, the agent gulped down half of his drink, the ice ringing on the bottom of the quadratic glass.

 “And who’s this boss Terushima?” he asked, looking up at the busy bartender. He was surprised at the heated reaction he received. The bartender seemed almost angry with his lack of knowledge.

 “You don’t know boss Terushima and you dared come here?!” he exclaimed, slapping his hands over the polished surface of the bar. “Boss Terushima is a legend, buddy! I don’t know when he’ll be here, but you better apologize to him when he gets here!”  
 

Akaashi again brought the glass with the remaining alcohol and melting ice to his lips, frowning at the way the bartender was talking so highly of a mere street drug dealer. Despite the bubbling irritation in his stomach, Akaashi tried to keep his uninterested façade. It seemed Terushima wasn’t in the bar, so he would have to wait until he arrived. Waiting was the hardest part of his job. It made him alert to any part of his surroundings. To any little movement of anyone around him. It edged him in the most unpleasant way and Akaashi could almost say he hated it.  
 

Downing the rest of his drink, the agent forced himself to look natural and to relax, as he stood, leaning against the clean bar and listening to the disturbingly loud techno music.  
 

He didn’t wait long. As it was obvious by his appearance, Terushima Yuuji was a person born to enjoy the night life. He showed up with his little party bunch around half an hour after Akaashi had came. Everyone knew him and he knew everyone. Terushima was loud, much to Akaashi’s distaste, as he greeted everyone in the bar and everyone greeted him back with loud cheers, which surprised the agent. He had found himself in a nest of drunken teenagers and probably dangerous drug dealers. At times like this he cursed his policy not to bring weapons on his missions, but if he did and it was found, his cover would be send to hell. And that would be unprofessional, something Akaashi wasn’t.  
 

After entering the bar with two of his henchmen (which Akaashi recognized as his right hand man Bobata Kazuma and Futamata Takeharu, the profiles of which were described in the folder Misaki had given them), Terushima settled on one of the black leather couches in the corner. He was served almost immediately and Akaashi deemed the time right to approach him. The plan was simple enough, or so it seemed when they had talked it over with Konoha and Sarukui. He wouldn’t do anything rash, simple ask this and that and get out of there as soon as Terushima took the bait and gave him the needed information. Akaashi revised everything while walking through the crowd towards Terushima’s table.  
 

“Terushima Yuuji-san?” He formally said once he stood in front of the dealer’s table to gain his attention. Terushima, who was then busy with downing his drink, looked up at Akaashi with what could only be annoyance. His brows furrowed in question, as he looked over the stranger standing in front of him.  
 

“Who might you be?” he asked, arrogance lacing his voice and making Akaashi frown.  
 

“I heard from the bartender that you offer…some quality commodity, if I can say it so.” He said, voice hallow and smooth. It looked like his words caught Terushima’s attention. The dealer grinned and leaned foreword, elbows resting over his knees, as he waved at Akaashi to sit. Akaashi did, sitting on a soft leather stool, knees almost touching the edge of the glass table in front of him.  
 

“So you’re interested in what I have to offer, huh?” Terushima asked, still grinning at Akaashi,    “Great, great! This night night sure is starting out good! But you certainly don’t look like someone who would mess with illegal deals. You ‘aint a policeman are you?”  
 

Akaashi’s eyes narrowed, wondering what would happen if someone really found out who he was in the bar full of Terushima followers. But Terushima’s question seemed more like a joke rather than an actual suspicion, so Akaashi relaxed.  
 

“It’s for a friend. I’m merely here to ask around, see what you have…”

 “Oh, I have a lot of stuff! Quality stuff.” Terushima said with immense pride, “But it all comes at a price, if that friend’s ready to buy…”  
 

“I want to see the quality for myself.” Akaashi dully said, “If it’s what my friend would like, I’ll bring him tomorrow.”

 Terushima didn’t seem very appealed by the idea.  
 

“I don’t like when people don’t trust me. When I say that my stuff is quality, I mean it! And everyone here will tell you the same.”

 “I don’t mean to doubt you, Terushima-san. I’m merely ensuring that my friend won’t end up scammed from this deal.” He looked coldly at the dealer, “Such stuff happens in the business doesn’t it.” Terushima frowned, suddenly in a loss of words.

 “Look, buddy,” he started, his arrogance building up again, “I don’t know if you know, but have you any idea who supplies me with the drugs I sell? Stimulants, marijuana, heroine. Everything I sell is the best, ‘cause I get it from the best dealers in the branch!”  
 

“Like?” Akaashi asked, eyes narrowing. They would finally get to the point. He couldn’t believe how smoothly his job was going.  
 Terushima grinned.  
 

“Boss Satori, is someone who quickly pops in my mind. He has a great reputation here, even among the rookie policemen who sniff around this place lately. Who ever you ask about quality, they’ll point out Satori.”

 “If what you sell is so great, you wouldn’t mind me getting a taste.” Akaashi said, eyes once again narrowing. He had gotten more than he wished for today. What they sold, where they sold it and who really stood above Terushima.  
 

“Depends what you wanna buy and how much you’re willing to pay.” The dealer smugly said and Akaashi reached towards the pocket of his jacket. He was prepared for everything, including some unwanted obstacles.  
 

“Your finest.” He said, throwing a wad of money on the glass table in front of the dealer, who looked at it with wide eyes. His companions did the same, surprise showing clear on their faces. “I guess this should do, if now, I am willing to pay the price. One gram is enough though, so I’m willing to pay only for that.”  
 

“Well then…” Terushima started and Akaashi could almost see his mouth water at the sight of the money. Of course the money was fake but he hoped that neither of them was smart enough to doubt it and actually decide to check them. No one had enough money to waste in such an operation, though Akaashi was sure that by the end of it, the money the police would find would be a lot more than the little stack of fake yens he had thrown on the dirty glass table. “Now we’re talking the same language, buddy. Haru! A pack of the best for our fellow!”  
 

Futamata, who was sitting on Terushima’s left, stood up quickly and ran towards the bar. Akaashi believed that the barman was involved in the whole drug trade as well and that whatever Terushima offered was hidden somewhere behind the bar. His eyes followed Futamata as he disappeared in the crowd, while Terushima took the time to count the money with great pleasure.

 “You have a lot more than the money for just a gram…”  
 

“If I like your best, then you can have it all. Take it as a deposit.”

 “I’m sure you’ll like what I have to offer.”  
 

Terushima grinned up at Akaashi, who actually found that really unpleasant and turned his attention back towards the bar. He could see Futamata talking with the bartender, both of them disappearing behind the many people and reappearing again in front of Akaashi’s eyes. When Futamata returned, he left a small bag of white powder on the table, right in front of Akaashi. The agent gulped, looking at the white substance in the plastic bag.  
 

“Here you go buddy, the best of the best, provided by Satori-san himself.” The dealer proudly exclaimed. “Go on, have a taste!”  
 

Akaashi took the bag and slowly opened it. He didn’t take drugs on regular basis, but when dealing with drug dealers, he knew that gaining their trust was crucial for the success of the mission all together. If he refused to try the powder, he would be suspected, especially after he himself had made them bring a sample of their best so he could try it. Akaashi had done it many times before and he wasn’t scared to do it again, if it meant that his mission would go smoothly to the very end.  
 

He licked the tip of his pointer finger and dipped it in the small bag. The white powder stuck to his skin and without any further hesitation, Akaashi licked it off of his finger, nose scrunching in disgust. He was sure the powder wasn’t any real drug, more like one of those new synthetic ones, which had gained popularity among the youngsters these days. Terushima watched him in anticipation, as Akaashi closed the bag again.  
 

“I think my friend will like it.” he slowly said, making Terushima grin.  
 

“Who did you said sold it to you?”

 “Just wait till the full effect kicks in! Oh, and I already told you. I buy it from Satori-san, he has the best stuff.”

 “And do you know where he gets it from?” Akaashi eyed the bag of powder before grabbing it and pushing it his pocket.  
 

“I don’t really make it a habit to tell new faces about all those things, you know.” Terushima said, cocky grin never fading from his face.

He looked at Akaashi and the agent could almost see the challenge in his eyes.

 “I’m not so friendly towards newcomers, be it rich ones or poor ones. By the way, the way you tasted the powder…It was pretty unprofessional. You sure you tasted it good?”  
 

Akaashi’s eyes narrowed, as he stared at Terushima. He wasn’t a fan of drugs altogether, but had a good idea how taking them worked. Sure, he couldn’t tell if what Terushima was giving him was good or not since he barely tasted it and had no basis to compare, but a dealer of Terushima’s league was sure to read him like an open book and see how nervous he was when it came to it. For a moment Akaashi was almost certain he had blown his cover. His mind raced, as he tried to think of an answer.  
 

“I’m pretty sure I can tell what’s good and not by now.” he finally said, thinking over every word. “Not to mention it’s for a friend. A gram is fairly little, so I want him to get a proper try of it.”  
 

“I see. You’re not used to actually taking any drugs are you?” the dealer said, grin turning less menacing and doubtful.  
 

“I’ll refrain from answering that.” The agent stiffly said and stood up. He was scared that, despite his professionalism, he would make Terushima doubt him before his mission had even began. The reason for this visit was to survey the surroundings, meet the target and most importantly, earn its trust. That was the real meaning of an infiltrative mission and Akaashi knew it well enough.

 “Thank you for your time, I’ll be back tomorrow with my friend to make the deal.”

 “I’m happy to have been of use!” Terushima said, leaning back against the leather couch. “Hope your friend likes what I have to offer and starts buying regularly from me. You know how it is. We have to keep the business running, right?”  
 

“As a businessman, I can agree.”  
 

“Oh, but why are you in such a hurry, buddy!? The night’s just started, stay a bit longer, have a drink!”  
 

Akaashi grimaced at the offer. He wasn’t about to make it a hobby spending the nights out with drug dealers and drinking whatever their bartender subordinate offered him. He knew when it was time to retreat and it had came for tonight. He looked coolly at Terushima, keeping as calm and composed as he could.  
 

“I have other things to do, but thank you for listening to my requests, Terushima-san. We’ll see each other tomorrow.”  
 

“I’ll be waiting then, buddy.”  
 

Akaashi narrowed his eyes at the other again, but Terushima’s grin only widened. Before the agent could give himself away, he turned on his heel and started walking through the crowd of dancing teenagers towards the exit. The loud music had started bothering his nerves and he was done with yelling so his voice could reach the dealer clearly through it. Akaashi could almost feel the rhythm of it in his bones and for a person like him, who enjoyed the quietness and calmness, it was maddening.  
 

He stopped by at the bar to pay the busy bartender before walking out through the wide open doors. His head pulsed and he had to take a deep breath to settle his churning stomach. Akaashi wasn’t nervous at work. He never gave in to the pressure. But the feeling that Terushima had seen through him was concerning. He had never met such a person, with enough guts to go head to head with him. Akaashi definitely didn’t look like the one to fight, but he knew how to protect himself. Most of his colleagues feared him, even Konoha had said that he would never dare to challenge him or make him angry. Yet Terushima had the guts to grin so smugly and challengingly and it made Akaashi furious. He made a mental note to get the dealer behind the bars for good soon, as he walked through the cold night towards the place where Konoha and Sarukui had promised to wait for him. Akaashi could really use a good night rest, now as he thought about it.  
  
\---  
  
 Lev spend the night on Yaku’s couch and when he woke up, his body was aching all over. And no wonder, when he had barely slept, trying to keep his body on the small space the couch provided. Even though he had told Yaku he wouldn’t be able to fit on it, the older investigator had coldly told him that he could either take that, sleep on the floor or go home. Only the thought about waking up and having breakfast with Yaku was enough to get Lev through the all night hell of the way too small couch.  
 

Unfortunately, there was no breakfast. Yaku was the type to eat on the way, too busy to actually spend his morning at home and drink his coffee or read the newspaper. He didn’t act more different than Lev had seen him all those mornings in the office. He hurriedly got dressed, washed his face and teeth, got ready for work…If anything he looked stressed out and by the time Lev had barely made it to the bathroom to get ready for the day, Yaku was already ready to leave, yelling at him to hurry from the hall.  
 

The ride to the department was quiet. Yaku was concentrated in driving through the morning traffic and cursing his lateness, while Lev constantly tried to steal small kisses from him. The third time he did was just when Yaku was starting the car again after he had stopped on a traffic light and almost got punched. He slumped back in his seat in defeat. He had no idea what Yaku was thinking, but to him, they were in an official relationship. If this was Yaku every morning, Lev had double thoughts on weather he wanted to deal with it or not.  
 When they arrived at the department after the surprisingly long drive, aku parked the car and quickly walked out of it, angrily closing the oor. Lev did the same, following his superior towards the glass doors f the building. The two walked into the department building and headed up the stairs towards their floor. When they reached it, Lev made sure to check if Akane was behind her desk and after seeing she wasn’t, grabbed Yaku’s wrist and turned the surprised investigator towards him.  
 

“What now?” Yaku harshly asked, glaring up at Lev, who, much to his annoyance, was grinning broadly down at him.  
 

“Will you give me a kiss, Yaku-san?” he shamelessly asked and Yaku felt this face heat up.  
 

“We’re in the office!” he pointed out in embarrassment, “You have to be  
kidding me, Lev!”

 “It’s just a kiss Yaku-san and no one’s here!”  
 

“Get away from me! I know I agreed to try this relationship out, but…”  
 

Yaku felt his voice waver before his words died down in his throat in horror. A few steps away from them up the hall stood Bokuto, an amused look on his face. He looked as if he had just walked out of the unit’s office, walking straight on to the two bickering investigators instead. Yaku wondered just how much he had heard. Only the thought of it made his face redden deeper.  
 

“Should I tell you to get a room, or…” Bokuto started, voice trailing off as an amused smirk crawled over his face.  
 

Yaku suppressed a groan and turned towards Lev, who didn’t seem as ashamed or startled as him.

 “Lev, go get coffee.” He quickly ordered and waited until Lev was walking down the stairs, muttering something to him self, before walking towards the still grinning Bokuto, baypassing him in favor of walking into the surprisingly empty office he shared with his colleagues. A moment later Bokuto returned and Yaku was ready for the joking remarks which would come his way any moment.  
 

“So, you two are in a relationship?” was the first thing Bokuto said upon entering the office, just as Yaku was getting ready to flee into his own private part of the room. “Who would’ve thought…”  
 

“No one.” Yaku harshly said, turning towards his colleague, “We’re not in a relationship. Lev is just confused.”  
 

“He doesn’t look confused to me!” Bokuto laughed, walking towards his desk beside the window.  
 

“But I bet he is.” Yaku countered, “I’m just…I’m just helping him explore a bit. That’s all.”  
 

Bokuto huffed as he sat on his chair.

“That’s not like you. It’s not shameful to actually like him you know? Yeah, you trashtalked him a bit when he first came, but it’s okay if you…”  
 

“I don’t.” Yaku sternly said walking towards the door to his private office. Bokuto looked him over skeptically, brow raised and grin wide.  
 

“You sure?” he asked and Yaku frowned.  
 

“I’m positive.”  
 

Yaku turned towards his door, hand outstretched towards the door handle. He looked at the still grinning Bokuto, who by then had crossed his hands over his chest, waiting for what Yaku was about to say. Yaku’s eye twitched and he let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat.  
 

“I really have no idea what I’m feeling for him, but I’m sure it isn’t love.” The investigator stated firmly and Bokuto nodded in understatement, “There’s something, but I’m not really sure what love is supposed to feel like, so I don’t have some basis for comparison, like you.” Bokuto nodded again patiently before speaking.  
 

“You know, Yaku-kun,” he slowly started, “For me, love is when he or she calls you at least once a day when he or she’s away just to hear your voice and know you’re alright. Love is when he or she tucks you into bed after you’ve had a super shitty day and passed out the moment your head touched the pillow. Love is when he or she goes out of their way to buy your favorite food just to see you happy, even if they’re too tired to walk straight and just want to go home already. Love is when you feel safe and vulnerable only around that one person. Love is the thing that makes your stomach clench with worry or makes you soar with happiness. If you’re really asking me what love is, that’s my answer…”  
 

Yaku raised a brow as Bokuto’s eyes narrowed. He still wasn’t facing him, choosing to stare at the papers on his desk instead, but whatever was going through his mind right now, Yaku concluded that it wasn’t something he was ready to share. That’s why he didn’t ask what was bothering him.

 “At least that’s what it’s supposed to be!” Bokuto suddenly said, this time looking at Yaku with his familiar grin. “You grew up so fast, Yaku-kun! I wish you luck with the novice!”

 Yaku grit his teeth, trying to come out with some kind of insult directed towards Bokuto, but when it was obvious he could only stand and gape, he turned towards his office, opened the door and shut it once inside. From there he could hear Bokuto’s loud, annoying laughter.  
 

Behind the secure door of his office, Yaku buried his burning face in his hands and groaned in despair. He didn’t think he was ready for whatever ride he had gotten himself into and somehow, something didn’t let him enjoy it as he really wanted to.  
  
\---  
  
 When the doctor came, Kenma was expecting bad news. In the past few days after Kuroo woke up, he was almost certain that something would ruin everything and he would again be forced to worry about him. Especially after Kuroo decided to disobey the doctor’s orders and started concerning himself more and more with work. Kenma already knew about what had happened yesterday and knew about Matsukawa and Kuroo’s talk. He wasn’t stupid. He knew Kuroo was bored lying in bed all day, but he had to understand that it was for his own good. Kenma finally realized what Kuroo felt when he acted like a child at home  
and greatly regret acting like he did on regular basis.  
 

Despite his expectations however, the doctor brought the best news he had ever hoped to hear. Kuroo’s wounds were closing and healing properly, there were little chances for the internal bleeding to start again with the way things were going and neither he nor the nurses saw any reason for him to keep staying in the hospital. Kuroo could go home and continue his recover from there, as long as he promised to eat healthily and not tire him self, physically or mentally. Kuroo of course promised, but Kenma wasn’t sure if he would keep it. Then again, he could control him more from home, all he needed to do was get a few days off from work and he would make sure Kuroo did everything the doctor told him.  
 

“I would like Kozume-san to sign some papers when you’re ready to go.” The doctor informed them, “We’ll wait until the medicine in the tube runs out before you can go.”  
 

“Kenma, will you take that time to go home and get me some clean clothes?” Kuroo sweetly asked and Kenma nodded.  
 

“I’ll be back in no more than an hour, will you be fine?” Kenma asked, looking at Kuroo, who was grinning up at him, happy to finally be able to leave the confines of his hospital room.  
 

 “It’ll be fine, you won’t take long anyway!” he assured him.  
 

“When you get back the nurse will tell you what to sign.” The doctor said while walking towards the door and Kenma followed him. He stopped to wave at Kuroo, who waved back with a grin, before walking out of the room.  
 

The day wasn’t a particularly cold one, but it was definitely not pleasant to walk through the crowded streets. Kenma made a mental note to take an umbrella after he headed back to the hospital. He walked down the streets towards his building and the apartment he shared with Kuroo. The building wasn’t big but was one of the fairly modern ones, not exactly in the outskirts of the neighborhood, but not in the crowded center as well. Kenma liked his street. Everything was close when he needed it. The grocery store, his workplace. The hospital however wasn’t as close and it took Kenma about an hour to walk back home. He would usually take the train, but knowing how crowded it usually was, he preferred to walk.  
 

On the way back to the hospital, Kenma hurried more. He couldn’t wait to finally walk home with Kuroo by his side. He grasped tightly the bag with Kuroo’s clean clothes as he walked down the wet street. He couldn’t believe Kuroo had recovered so fast. It was remarkable, as the doctor had told him. But all that mattered for Kenma now was that he was coming home.  
 

He was a street away from the hospital now. There were significantly less people now and Kenma could walk without fear that he might bump into someone. Just as he was passing by one of the many small side streets however, someone grabbed him from behind. He dropped the bag with Kuroo’s clean set of clothes on the ground, as a hand covered his mouth before he had the chance to scream, squeezing his jaw painfully. Kenma tried to kick and fight against his captor, but the grip around him only tightened, as who ever held him dragged him into the alley behind them.  
 

The person holding him pressed him into the cold and dirty wall of a building to his left and Kenma once again tried to kick back at him, but the mysterious person only held him tighter and pressed him rougher into the concrete wall, making Kenma whimper in pain and raising fear. The person leaned over him and Kenma felt hot breath tickle his ear.

“Don’t struggle now, Kozume.” A familiar, yet unknown to Kenma voice hissed lowly, making him shiver. “We’re just going to have some fun now. Don’t worry, nothing’s going to hurt if you don’t provoke me.”  
 

The hand over his mouth disappeared for a moment, but before Kenma managed to yell for help, it returned, this time clasping a wet cloth over his mouth and nose. Kenma couldn’t help but inhale sharply out of shock, grimacing at the sharp smell which hit his nose. Whatever liquid the cloth was drenched with, it made Kenma dizzy, as he struggled furiously against the hands of his captor. The hand over his mouth again squeezed his jaw painfully tight and Kenma couldn’t help but inhale.

“None of this, Kozume.” The person hissed again, amusement lacing his cold and smooth voice, “Be a good boy and listen, hm?”  
 

Kenma’s breathing became ragged, as he began to panic. He started feeling dizzier the more he breathed the chemical in the cloth pressed against his nose. His kicking and struggling lessened. His vision started to get cloudy. The worse part of the entire nightmarish experience had to be the person behind him talking right into his ear, the sadistic voice sending shivers through his entire body.

“This doesn’t concern you, Kozume.” The person spoke, as Kenma’s consciousness began to fade, “I have nothing against you, so don’t worry. Everything will be over before you even know it…”

 Kenma squeezed his eyes tightly shut, panting in growing panic. He once again began to struggle weakly against the person behind him, but it was no use anymore. His sight blurred further and he felt his limbs growing numb and heavy. Soon he fell back against his captor, legs giving up from beneath him. Through the haze of his half consciousness, he continued to hear the cold voice whispering in his ear.

 “That’s it…I knew you were a good kitty…”

Kenma took another short breath before his eyes closed and he relaxed fully. into the hands of his captor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me change a few tags, but otherwise I hope you liked it! First of all I want to thank VivaldiChase as always and a big thank you to Cyan475 for giving me double thoughts on it! ^^  
> Now, I have something to tell you guys and I hope you help me with my problem. Because this fic is slowly reaching it's end and should be done by the end of July, I have been thinking about what to write after that. With the beginning of Summer, I have to start writing my own book, that alone is a big thing, but I want to write something with Haikyuu as well! For now, there are three choices and I would like you to give me advise on what to chose and what you want to reed! ^^ The first and second options are crossovers with Darker than Black or Tokyo Ghoul (because I've been seeing a lot of crossovers with these two and I want to give a try at writing one). The next is a horror fiction the idea of which I got today after a friend of mine showed me a photo shoot of hers. There is another option but I just might cross it out, since I want to torture you all with some gore and suspense >:) ! Please comment your choices and I would be glad to hear your ideas or suggestions on my e-mail -> genia00abv@bg.  
> Thank you for reading and stay tune for more!


	9. The Shadow

\---

" _Kenma’s eyes widened as he felt the short blade pierce his flesh_..."

___

 Kuroo called Bokuto around lunch. Bokuto, who was then sipping his coffee calmly, feet folded beneath his desk, picked up almost  
immediately.  
  
“What can I help my bro with today?” the investigator cheekily asked after the casual hellos were said. The reply he received really wasn’t  
the one he was expecting.  
  
  
“I think Kenma went missing, bro.” said Kuroo, voice shivering with concern. His tone worried Bokuto more than his words. “The doctor said I could go home today and Kenma went to get me some clothes, but he’s been gone almost three hours now and he said he’ll take no more than one. That’s not the worst I can’t reach him at all. He isn’t picking up his phone.”  
  
“Maybe he’s just making you a surprise, bro.” Bokuto reassuringly said, “I mean, you’re getting out of the hospital! That’s some great news! Who know’s what Kenma’s getting ready for you.”  
  
“It’s not like that, Bokuto.” Kuroo pressed, voice becoming urgent, “He always picks up his phone! I even texted him, but I got nothing. I’m sure something happened, okay?”  
  
“Okay, fine, I’ll come to the hospital in a bit. I’m on my lunch break we can try calling him together. On the way to you I’ll even check and see if he’s home, alright?”  
  
“Thanks, bro. That’ll be good…”  
  
“Don’t sweat it! Try to calm down, I’ll be with you in five.”  
  
 Kuroo thanked him again and Bokuto hung up the phone, taking a last large gulp of his coffee before standing up from his chair. He knew Kuroo worried a bit too much for Kenma, it was almost as if he was his mom and not boyfriend, but he found it remarkable if anything. He wasn’t ready to say something was wrong, but if Kuroo wanted to be sure, nothing stopped him from checking himself and reassuring his bro.  
  
 Bokuto walked out of the office, grabbing his jacket on the way. He told Akane to call him if anything urgent came up and walked down the stairs towards the first floor.  
  
  
 Bokuto wasn’t worried at all, but that didn’t mean that Kuroo could let things pass with the same ease. He knew Kenma didn’t like talking over the phone, even though the device was with him all the time. So when he tried calling him and he didn’t pick up, he found it understandable, waiting patiently for a text telling him not to worry. But when Kuroo didn’t get that text an hour later after he had called  
numerous times and sent numerous texts, the worry slowly started to creep over him. Before he knew it it was already lunch time and there was still no sign of Kenma.  
  
 Calling Bokuto was the first thing he thought of. He could always trust him, even though sometimes he pissed him off. Giving Bokuto a call made him feel better because he simply knew that the help he.needed was on its way and the problem would soon be solved. To his surprise, the moment he hung up on Bokuto, his phone rang again with the tune he had set for Kenma’s number. He felt himself sigh deeply in relief. He was, of course, going to scold Kenma the moment he picked up, but on the inside, he would be cheering and crying with happiness. Maybe he had turned to Bokuto for help a bit too quickly and Kenma was really okay, just making a secret surprise for him. The thought about it made him grin as he slid his finger over the screen of his phone and raised the device to his ear.  
  
“Kenma!” he said in mock anger and irritation, “Have you any idea how much I called you, you made me worried sick! It’s not good enough I got shot, now you want to make me go through a hear attack?! Where are you and what…Kenma?”  
  
 Kuroo felt his worry pick up again. By now he would have gotten at least a sigh of annoyance from Kenma, but so far he wasn’t even hearing his breathing. Feeling his palms get sweaty, Kuroo tried to talk again.  
  
“Kenma, are you there?” he slowly asked, but got no response, “What kind of a joke is this?! Who’s on the phone?!”  
  
 Another silent moment passed by, before Kuroo heard someone answer. It would be good if the voice belonged to Kenma, but to his worry, the voice he heard was smooth and cold, definitely not Kenma’s.  
  
 “I really don’t want to speak right now, Kuroo-san…” whoever was on the phone spoke flatly, “I’m afraid you really will get a heart attack if I do. But don’t worry, Kozume is alright. For now, at least. Then again, I can’t guarantee for how long.”  
  
 “Who are you?” Kuroo heard himself saying, voice raspy and strained. The voice disappeared for a moment, before giving him an answer.

 “It doesn’t matter who I am. All that should matter for you is Kozume’s life, right? Hurry up and save him. He doesn’t seem like the type to last long alone…Don’t get any heart attacks Kuroo-san, come quickly alright. Kozume will be waiting…”  
  
 Before Kuroo could ask anything more and possibly force an answer, the person on the other side of the line hung up. Kuroo’s hands began to shake as he processed what he had heard. Before he knew it, he was again dialing Bokuto’s number. He wouldn’t need to pass by his apartment to check if Kenma was there. Kuroo now knew that he wasn’t there, the problem now was where he actually was.

  
\---  
  
 When Bokuto arrived at the hospital, Kuroo was trying to convince the nurse to give him his clothes and let him go. He hadn’t yet entered the hospital room, but he could clearly hear both Kuroo’s voice and the nurse’s angry shouting from the lower floor. That only made him hurry more, as he climbed the little remaining stairs and ran down the hall towards Kuroo’s room.  
  
 When Bokuto entered the hospital room, he saw Kuroo desperately trying to argue his way through the nurse, but thank God that the woman (who seemed too young to deal with the troubles Kuroo was putting her through) held her ground, stating that if he moved now and so quickly, he would cause his wounds to bleed again and that was something he didn’t want to do. Kuroo seemed too stressed out and furious to listen.  
  
 “Mister, please tell him that I can’t let him go in this condition!” the nurse urgently said, turning towards Bokuto for help after noticing his presence.  
  
 “You don’t understand!” Kuroo loudly said, gaining the attention of the nurse again, “I have to go now! I already told you that it’s urgent! Bokuto, do something!”

 “The nurse is right, bro…” Bokuto slowly said, earning a furious look from Kuroo, “Look, I understand you’re worried and I swear I’ll do everything I can to get Kozume-kun back safe and sound! But it won’t be worth it if you don’t watch your health, so just do as the nurse says. I already called Yaku, the guys at the department are on it…”  
  
 “Do you think that I’ll just lay here, while Kenma’s who knows where and with who knows who!? Do you think my consciousness will let me?!” Kuroo yelled and Bokuto actually flinched.  
  
 “I understand, bro!” he tried to reason, “But you try to understand too! We’ll do what we can, but you just have to be a bit patient…”  
  
 “There’s no way I can be patient! Are you even listening?! Kenma’s gone and I don’t know where! Would you be so patient if the same happened to Akaashi?! Stop acting like you understand and stop telling me to calm down because you’re making me angrier!”  
  
 Bokuto opened his mouth to answer, but closed it almost as quick. Kuroo couldn’t have known about his problems with Akaashi, he hadn’t even bothered to tell him. That’s why he didn’t know why mentioning him made him so angry now. Maybe because Kuroo was right. Even now, Bokuto knew he would react the same way if something like this had happened to him and Akaashi. He understood how annoying his words might have sounded in the current situation, but he couldn’t think of anything better to say. No way was he letting Kuroo do anything, but then again, he would get just as frustrated if he was in his place.  
  
 Bokuto took a deep breath and looked at Kuroo. Their glares met, eyes narrowed at each other insistently.  
  
 “I’m not going to make you stay in the hospital when you can go home.” Bokuto said courtly, breaking the silence, “But that doesn’t mean you’re going to take part in the investigation. You’ll stay home and recover.”  
  
 “I already told you I can’t do that!” Kuroo answered, hand pressing over the wound on his side as he tried to stand. Bokuto and the nurse however reached over to make him sit down on the bed again.

 “Listen to me! I wouldn’t be holding you back if it wasn’t for your own good, but what if you start bleeding again?! Just trust us alright!”  
  
 “I can’t…” Kuroo choked out and Bokuto grit his teeth, “I can’t just sit around…This isn’t some case we’re talking about, this is Kenma. He’s with the murderer, Kou, the murderer! Our guy, the one we’ve been searching for, the one who tried to kill me! How can I just sit back?”  
  
 Bokuto’s eyes widened as he stared at his colleague and friend.  
  
 “What are you talking about?” he asked in disbelief and Kuroo looked up at him, grief making its way between the anger and frustration.  
  
 “Before I called you the second time…The guy called me from Kenma’s phone. If we don’t find him soon he…he’ll…”  
  
 Bokuto again grit his teeth, as Kuroo lowered his head, his voice catching in his throat in a pitiful hiccup.  
  
 “I’ll call someone to take you home…” he said after a moment of silence, before turnining towards the shocked nurse, “He can go, can’t he?”  
  
 The woman looked at him with wide eyes and quickly nodded.  
  
 “He mustn’t over do it, or the stitches might…” her voice wavered and she went quiet for a moment. “I know this might sound stupid coming from me but…Please, try to remain as calm as possible…It might ruin your health otherwise, in this condition…”  
  
 “Don’t worry about that.” Bokuto assured, even though he wasn’t positive if Kuroo would really stay put in this situation, “Just bring him the clothes he came with so we can go.”  
  
 “But…the clothes he came with are in a terrible state, I don’t even know if we still have them.” The nurse stuttered and Bokuto sighed.  
  
 “Then I’ll go get you some clothes, you stay here.” He ordered, looking back at Kuroo. “I’m taking you home when you get back.”  
  
 “Bokuto…”  
  
 “Yes?”  
  
 Kuroo hesitated for a moment before looking up at his friend.  
  
 “Please find Kenma.”  
  
 “I will! The whole unit will! You just stay safe till we do!”  
  
 Bokuto tried to give a reassuring grin, but maybe he failed a bit with it.vNot risking to give away the mask of confidence he managed to build up, Bokuto turned towards the door and walked out of the hospital room.  
  
\---

 When Iwaizumi walked into the office that afternoon, after spending half of it looking through street camera footage he managed to get from his colleagues, Yaku was the only one there. That was something Iwaizumi was glad about. He took a deep breath before closing the door of the office and walking closer to the desk Yaku had momentarily occupied. The investigator looked up at Iwaizumi the moment he noticed him.  
  
 “Did you find anything?” he hopefully asked, voice already sounding tired. Iwaizumi shook his head.  
  
 “No, but I found something else.” He plainly said, setting a small book with a plain white cover on the desk in front of Yaku. “I had a hunch that the picture we found in the tunnel with the victim looked familiar. I’m positive now that it’s taken from this exact book.”  
  
 Yaku raised a brow and took the book. He read the title and turned it around to look at the resume.  
  
 “’In the mind of a maniac’? That doesn’t sound familiar at all. Where did you get it?”  
  
 “It’s Oikawa’s. It’s full with detailed pictures every few pages, check the first one out.”  
  
 Yaku looked at him a bit skeptically, but really did open the book and turned over the pages. As promised, on the sixth page there was a printed picture. Yaku could make out a square building, surrounded by a fence and a playground beside it. What caught his eye however was the figure of an obviously shocked woman, standing on the alleyway which lead towards the entrance of the building. The woman was staring at her feet where a neatly drawn chopped off hand lay on the pavement. Yaku narrowed his eyes, the picture looking oddly familiar. He looked up at Iwaizumi in confusion.  
  
 “Turn ten pages ahead and see what’s there.” His colleague simply said and Yaku again turned the pages of the book, cold sweat forming on the back of his neck.  
  
 Just as Iwaizumi had said, on page sixteen of the little book there was another image. This time, there was a tunnel drawn there. It reminded Yaku greatly of the tunnel where they had found the first, still unidentified victim of the case. From the gravel on the tunnel’s floor there was something oddly reminding a human hand sticking out, revealing itself to two possible policemen, which leaned over it with curiosity. Yaku gulped as he studied the image.  
  
 “Five more pages ahead and you’ll find the picture of a woman tied to a pipe in a sewer.” Iwaizumi said, breaking the heavy silence, “Can you guess what the book is about?”  
  
 “You’re meaning to tell me that…the murderer is following the model set in this book?” Yaku slowly asked, looking up at his colleague. Iwaizumi nodded.  
  
 “I took a look through it at home. It explains how the murders were committed in detail through the murderer’s point of view. It’s really a mind wrecking book to read…But turn a few pages ahead again. The page is marked.”  
  
 Yaku nodded and quickly turned to the page which Iwaizumi had marked. On the black and white picture there he could clearly make out the inside of a large, dirty storehouse. In its center was drawn a tall pole and beside the pole sat a man, who’s arms were tied behind his back to the pole with handcuffs. The man looked like he was in deep pain, his face was like a mask of agony. He was staring with large, fearful eyes at a few incoming rodents (which looked far more big and evil than most rats Yaku had seen), a few of which were already making their way up his feet and chest. Yaku felt himself shiver at how sinister the drawing was. All the terrifying emotions a man could feel were piled in a simple picture. It had the same effect as any horror movie, even greater.  
  
 “But…we haven’t been nodified of such a murder.” Yaku said, looking up at Iwaizumi.  
  
 “That’s because there isn’t one.” Iwaizumi said, narrowing his eyes, “But there will be, and very soon.”  
  
 “You mean…” Yaku’s eyes widened as the realization slowly downed on him, “You mean to tell me that whoever kidnapped Kenma now is…is going to kill him like the person in this picture? The same way?”  
  
 “I’m almost ready to bet my paycheck on it.” Iwaizumi stated courtly, “But this is a lead. We have to search the storehouses all together if we want to find Kozume. Something similar to the image on the page.”  
  
 “Iwaizumi, there are tons of storehouses in just Narima, have you any idea how many there are in Tokyo?” Yaku said, eyes widening in surprise.  
  
 Iwaizumi looked at him seriously.  
  
 “We don’t need to look through the entire city.” He coolly said, “Who ever the kidnapper is, he couldn’t have gone far. According to Kuroo, Kozume disappeared before lunch, meaning that who ever kidnapped him couldn’t take him far through the crowded streets, unless of course he had a car. On the camera footage that we managed to gather though, there isn’t any sign of a suspicious car. There for, we can search only in Narima for now then if nothing comes up, we can search around it.”  
  
 “The place where a kidnapper and murderer would take his victim would be somewhere far away enough from any inhabited places, but since we’re in Narima, that’ll be a bit hard for him.” Yaku said, looking down at the book again, “It would have to be out of order and positively empty. If the murderer copies everything from this exact book, that means that he’ll want to keep Kenma alive for long enough so the rats can catch his scent…Which means that the storehouse would be far enough from any crowded streets, but close to a gas station if anything, so he can get food and water.”  
  
 “I’ll go check the storehouses on the map and I’ll send a team the moment I find something like that.” Iwaizumi said and turned towards the door of the office.  
  
 “Iwaizumi.” Yaku says quickly, making the officer stop and look at him over his shoulder. “Thanks. We…You, made a great break on this case.”  
  
 Iwaizumi raise a brow, looking confused for a moment. “Why are you thanking me?” he asked, eyes narrowing, “I did and am still doing my job. Do yours too and get moving. Aren’t you the boss here?”  
  
 Yaku barely held in his sower laughter, nodding softly. He closed the book and stood up from his chair.  
  
 “You’re right. I’ll come with you.”  
  
 Iwaizumi nodded and the two headed towards the door, leaving the white book to lay over the desk behind them.  
  
\---  
  
 It is funny how terrible the jokes one's brain makes can be. Human imagination is a cruel thing. Kozume Kenma never knew he would find it out in such a way. When he started to come to, he was ready to believe that he was lying on his bed, in his apartment, and that he had just woken up from the most realistic nightmare he had ever have. But sadly, it wasn’t his comfortable bed he was lying on, rather on the dirty, wet and cold ground of a quiet, dark place. He could hear only his own shallow breathing.  
  
 When the fog around him started to clear and his mind began to process everything, Kenma found out that his hands were tied somewhere above his head. After regaining his orientation, he understood that while he was lying on his side on the cold ground, his hands were tied to a metal pole near his head with shining steel handcuffs. He gave them an experimental pull, but it was obvious that there was no way to free himself. His mouth was also covered with something like a cloth, making it impossible to call for help. Kenma actually doubted that anyone could hear him, even if he could.  
  
 His head and arms hurt, but above the pain began to rise frightening panic. Through the years Kenma had learned to keep calm despite his anxious nature. He was proud of how quickly he had learned to cope with his fears and control his emotions. But there were times when everything became too much to handle and this one was one of those times.  
  
 Despite knowing that struggling against the cuffs was meaningless, Kenma did just that, pulling furiously against them. The sound of the cuffs hitting the metal of the pole rang around the large space. Kenma cringed at the loudness of it, but didn’t stop pulling on the handcuffs. His breathing became ragged and painful, his chest tightening in panic. The cloth tied securely around his mouth didn’t help his breathing at all, if anything it made it harder. Cold sweat gathered over his forehead and the back of his neck, making the edges of his bleached hair stick to his skin uncomfortably. Kenma tried to at least sit up, but his body felt too heavy for him to do so.  
  
 Through the loud ringing of the handcuffs hitting the pole and his muffled screams, Kenma soon managed to hear another sound. A sound which by no means made him feel safe. Through all the sounds ringing in his ears, Kenma managed to catch the soft sound of footsteps approaching him. Heavy shoes, stepping lightly over the gravel covered ground. Kenma froze, eyes darting around to see who was coming near him.  
  
 When he looked up, Kenma saw a person, definitely taller than him, walking closer to where he was bond to the pole with confident strides. Kenma couldn’t recognize him right away due to the darkness around them and the dark clothes the man was wearing, but his presence made him shudder in fear. When the man, who looked more like a shadow than anything, came close enough to tower over him, Kenma’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe who was standing before him now, looking down at him with glimmering, almost evil eyes. Kenma’s heart skipped and he tore his eyes away from his captor. He began to pull on the handcuffs again, only making the man above him chuckle coldly. Kenma didn’t dare look at him again, if only because of the disgust he felt for him now.  
  
 While he tried to free himself, despite knowing it was useless, Kenma missed his captor taking something small and black out of the pocket of his jacket. The man chuckled again before kneeling down.beside Kenma, who quickly tried to move as far away from him as possible, but it was again no use. The man watched him for a bit with growing.amusement before expertly opening the pocket knife he had taken from his pocket. This time Kenma payed big attention to what he was going to do with the small weapon in his hands, eyes wide in fright and chest heaving with quick and shallow breaths. The sharp edge of the small knife shined from the little light which managed to enter from some small window somewhere above Kenma tauntingly. So did the eyes of the one holding it.  
  
 When the man leaned over him again, this time with the weapon, Kenma tried furiously to kick him, hoping that his foot would make contact with his nasty face, but he didn’t have that much luck. He really wondered where it had went and why lady luck had decided to leave him all alone after so many years of working together. As much as Kenma kicked, yelled and struggled, that only brought a grin to his captor’s face, before he brought the knife down with a swift flick of his thin wrist.  
  
 Kenma’s eyes widened as he felt the short blade pierce the flesh of his thigh, the tip of the knife reaching almost to the bone. He yelled out in pain, voice muffled by the cloth over his mouth, eyes shutting in pain. His body shuddered and Kenma yelled again as his captor tore the knife out just as swiftly as he had stabbed him. The moment the man was standing up again, towering over him, Kenma tried to curl into himself, but the immense pain which shot up from his bleeding wound and took over his entire leg prevented him from moving too much. His chest heaved and his shoulders trembled, as hot tears of pain escaped from his closed eyes. That only brought another grin to the face of his captor.  
  
 The man towering above him threw the knife on the ground, watching Kenma’s bleeding wound with amusement. His narrowed eyes shone with happiness and that was disgusting on its own. After a few moments however he got tired of just watching and decided to go leaving Kenma to his.misery. He turned.around and walked off into the darkness with the same slow, large strides and quiet steps he had came before.  
  
 Kenma took a large, shivery gulp of air, gritting his teeth against the pain he felt in his lower body. he was once again left in darkness and silence with only one thought in mind.  
  
_Save me, Kuroo_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally out!~ And it's here to celebrate my new amazing hair, dyed halfway red! ^^ Thank you VivaldiChase and I hope my hint helped ;) Also, I heard somewhere that Nekoma, as in the school, has to be located in Narima, which is a neighborhood in Tokyo, so I decided that it's only natural for them the team to live there. Information about the location of the department wont be mentioned much again so don't think too much about it.  
>  Thank you for reading! Stay tune for more!


	10. The One We've Been Looking For

\---

“ _Any game looks straight if everyone is being cheated at once_.”

\---

 

 Lev hadn’t felt as pressured as he felt now, looking through the clues which they had gathered from the crime scene in the sewer. Even the experience he had there couldn’t come near to the pressure he felt now. He could almost feel the minutes tick by at maximum speed. Lev couldn’t believe that it had already been a day with no trace of Kenma what so ever and that the more time they wasted, the bigger the chances of finding Kenma dead got higher.  
  
 He had told Yaku yesterday that he wanted to go with Matsukawa and check the addresses of all the deserted storehouses in Narima, but Yaku had told him to look over what they had gathered from the sewer for anything useful. The way he had explained it sounded quite logical. The criminal they were dealing with obviously had a thing for leaving them clues, no matter how small and hidden they were. Lev didn’t know about the book and Yaku’s conversation with Iwaizumi, but all it took was a moment of thought for him to agree and reluctantly get to work. That proved it was a hard task however.  
  
 Despite of what Yaku had said about the handcuffs, the force with which the boiling watter had hit the steel was enough to completely destroy them. The murderer obviously knew what to do to hide any little trace he might have left behind. But it was Lev’s job to find the twisted message he had left behind for the police to find. And hopefully, that trace would help them find Kenma.  
  
 The next thing Lev turned his attention to were Hanaoka’s clothes. He looked through every pocket of her skirt and shirt, but found nothing similar to what the murderer liked to leave behind. Lev started out with the bigger evidence, leaving stuff like jewelery or anything else small that Hanaoka might have had on her last moments. That however proved to be very stupid in the end. And Lev honestly felt stupid for doing it. Because the moment after he looked through Hanaoka’s wallet, in one of the many plastic bags on the table, he found a small, crumbled piece of paper. His eyes widened the moment he saw it and the good shape it was in. He wasted no time in taking it out of the plastic bag and laying in front of himself on the table. Unlike the large piece of paper that had led them to the sewer, this one was small and preserved. It looked strangely familiar, but perhaps not enough to trigger Lev’s memory.  
  
 After a moment of examining the piece of paper, Lev decided that he needed help. Before actually calling for help though, he decided to look through the documentary from the tunnel murder. It wasn’t as fresh in his mind as the sewer incident was, therefore a little reminder was in order. He took all existing document and gathered evidence regarding the murder and sat on his desk in the office in the end of the hall. He had grown fond of it to be honest. Even if he worked away from the actual investigators. The people there were a lot more lively as well.  
  
 After no more than a few minutes of personal investigation, Lev finally found a link between the piece of paper from the sewer and the last murder. As far as he knew, on the tunnel murder scene were found two pieces of paper. The one with the picture of the sewer, where the next murder took place, and one smaller, more unsignificent, piece with an unidentified part of a picture on it. Lev finally remembered it as the one he had promise to identify him self if he managed to get another piece of it and it looked like now he was getting the chance.  
  
 Lev took the piece of paper he got from the tunnel murder and went back into the investigation unit’s main office to compare it with the  
paper found in the sewers. Once he tried to do it however, he noticed that the two pieces never actually joined in the way to form a bigger picture. Lev liked puzzles and thought he was good at solving them, but as much as he assured himself that these two pieces of paper could make out a bigger image when joined, no matter how much he turned them, they simply didn’t make out anything. No lead at all to what was on the picture they had to make out. Lev again began to get nervous. He couldn’t believe that all his current speculation have been a complete lost of time and that instead of working on finding a lead to Kenma, he had lost a good hour simply doing nothing. The simple desire to help and actually find some kind of hidden message in the small pieces of paper made him get a grip and try to join them again, but the failure in that was obvious.  
  
 Just as Lev was about to look for something else which could prove useful, his savior, going by the name of Yaku Morisuke, walked in, holding a plastic cup of coffee and a paper folder in one hand. Lev couldn’t believe how happy he was to see his superior, even though he didn’t want to be seen in such a clueless state. He was thankful when his superior offered him a simple look of sympathy, before regaining his seriousness and joining him in his investigation.  
  
 “We have three teams searching through Narima and one searching around it.” Yaku informed him, as he left the folder and coffee cup on the table, farer from the clues and pieces of paper. “We’ll have to call them back soon and call it a night…We have nothing for now.”  
  
 Yaku sighed deeply and Lev again looked at the papers in front of him.  
  
 “I’m not very sure how to explain it, but I have a hunch that we’ll find Kenma-san, once we see what the picture on the papers is.” He firmly said and Yaku nodded in agreement.  
  
 “For now we know that the murderer is someone smart and sadistic. He won’t go out of his way in leaving anything if it isn’t related to his next victim and murder. I’m sure your train of thought is correct.”  
  
 Yaku leaned closer to the pieces of paper on the desk and took his time to examine them and the faded counters on them. He turned and arranged them for a while, before looking back at Lev, who watched him with amazement.  
  
 “When we revised old cases to link to this one, we found a case with a chopped off hand found in a kindergarten.” He slowly said, eyes narrowing, “Hanaoka Shiina, who was the second victim of the murderer, was the first to find the hand and call the police. We don’t have any evidence of earlier crimes which resemble these murders, but what do you think about the possibility that the person we’re looking for might have left a clue such as this on the kindergarten scene as well?”  
  
 Lev took a moment to think over Yaku’s words before slowly nodding.  
  
 “I think I understand what you’re telling me, Yaku-san.” He slowly said, eyes narrowed in confusion as he rethought the possibilities. “But you were the one working on that case. Do you have any such memories? Of finding pieces of paper there, I mean.”  
  
 “I wasn’t he one in charge of gathering the clues back then…But I don’t really remember either. It was fairly long ago. We’ll have to ask Akane to give us the documentary and the evidence from then and look through them.”  
  
 "Then let’s do it!” Lev quickly said, turning towards his superior. “We might not have much time before the murderer decides to get rid of Kenma-san! If he’s even with him, but now I have no doubt about it!”  
  
 “We’re doing what we can so far, Lev.” Yaku said, voice hard and stoic, “Have some respect to your colleagues, who’re doing everything they can right now. We’ll get the documentary about the kindergarten murder from Akane, but after that I want you to go home. Take a shower, eat a healthy dinner. We’ll continue our work tomorrow.”  
  
“But Yaku-san…” Lev tried to object, but when he saw Yaku’s harsh  
glare, he quickly stopped.  
  
 “We’ll do what we can, Lev.” The investigator slowly said, voice sounding confident, despite the situation. “But if we tire ourselves now, our brain capacity will lower severely and we won’t be able to think right, is that so?”  
  
 Lev nodded slowly, finding actual logic in Yaku’s words.  
  
 “But what will you do?” he slowly asked, before Yaku had the chance to walk away. The investigator looked at him with a raised brow.  
  
 “I’ll take the documents and gathered evidence from the scene and work from home.”  
  
\---  
  
 In the end, due to some wonderful game of fate, Lev found himself spending the night at Yaku’s humble apartment again. He tried to keep up with the older investigator’s way of work, which revolved around multiple cups of coffee and keeping awake past the normal hours, but when it became obvious that he would fall asleep at any moment on the table, Yaku made him take a break. Instead of making him sleep on the terribly small couch however, he told Lev that he can take his bed. That made Lev agree instantly. Not because he was insanely tired, but because he could finally see what it was like sleeping in Yaku’s bed. The moment his head touched the soft pillow and he inhaled the lingering scent of his superior, Lev fell asleep, small smile of content stretching over his lips. For a moment he forgot the problems he faced at work and left himself rest, despite having no time for that.  
  
 Originally, Lev had told Yaku to wake him up after no more than two hours, but in the end he had ended up sleeping through the entire night, waking up around eight from the alarm Yaku had set for the mornings. He got out of bed slowly and with absolutely no desire to do so. Lev wondered if Yaku would let him sleep in his bed again some day. The thought of spending more time lying on the comfortable mattress, surrounded by warm and soft covers, was something that sounded amazing to Lev and his tired self at the moment. However, he knew there was work to do, important work, and he couldn’t sleep everything off.  
  
 Lev stretched his long arms over his head, fingers almost grazing he ceiling above, as he walked out of the bedroom and towards the living room and kitchen. There he was met with a surprising sight. A very adorable one as well, as far as he knew, but perhaps it was better to keep that knowledge to himself.  
  
 There, sitting on one of the wooden chairs in front of the dinner table, upper body lying completely on it, was Yaku, the harsh and professional investigator Lev had came to feel affection for. His chest fell and rose with slow, even breaths. His face was hidden in his arms, his hair was tossled and his neck exposed. Lev couldn’t almost imagine how he had fallen asleep, in the middle of his work.  
  
 Lev smiled and walked closer to the table. He stood by Yaku’s sleeping form for a moment, a sudden warm thought coming to his mind. Lev felt his heart skip and he actually tried to push the thought away, but if he let the chance skip now, who knew when he would see Yaku vulnerable again. Before he could think better of it, Lev leaned down and gave Yaku’s exposed neck a quick kiss. He couldn’t help but notice how sweet the investigator smelled, despite the dried sweat he was covered in.  
  
 Lev didn’t dare do anything else in fear of Yaku waking up and catching him kissing his neck (even if it was cute). He quickly left his superior to sleep a bit more before he had to wake him up and started to search for coffee somewhere in the kitchen. While he heated up the water however, he couldn’t help but take a glance at the table. Everything they had taken from Akane yesterday was there. Reports, documents, plastic bags with evidence. And lastly, Lev’s eyes skimmed over the notes Yaku had taken. Sloppy notes, contrasting strongly to Yaku’s professional handwriting. Codes and addresses. Names and other things which could prove useful for their investigation. At some point Yaku’s writing had become so sloppy, it was evident that he was on the verge of falling foreward and drifting off to an uncomfortable sleep. Lev almost felt sorry for him now.  
  
 Yaku woke up just as Lev was gathering up the notes and papers from the table. He groaned and rolled his stiff shoulders before looking up at Lev.  
  
 “’G Morning…” he drawled and rubbed his neck, standing up from the chair slowly.  
  
 “Good morning, Yaku-san!” Lev replied, trying to smile, “Should I ask if you slept well?”  
  
 “You better don’t.” Yaku said and took a big gulp from the coffee Lev had originally made for himself. “What time is it? We have to go to the department soon.”  
  
 “I can go first, if you want.” Lev offered, “You can take a shower and get ready.”  
  
 “I don’t need one.” Yaku protested at first, before falling silent. “Actually, I do. But you can stay here. I have a few notes done, look over them and tell me if you have any other ideas.”  
  
 “Understood.”  
  
 Just as Yaku was about to walk out of the living room and head towards the bathroom, he stopped and looked back at Lev over his shoulder.  
  
 “By the way,” he slowly started, “What did you do earlier?”  
  
 Lev looked at him in confusion.  
  
 “What do you mean, Yaku-san?” he quickly asked and Yaku narrowed his eyes.  
  
 “Earlier. You did something, when you thought I was sleeping. What was it, I’m not really sure about it.”  
  
 Lev felt a smile crawl over his face, accompanied by a soft blush. He couldn’t just tell Yaku what he had done, so it was better to play dumb, even if it was painfully obvious.  
  
 “I didn’t do anything, Yaku-san.” He quickly said, looking at the notes in his hand.  
  
 “I’m sure you did.” The investigator pressed, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck again. “What was it?”  
  
 “Nothing, Yaku-san!”  
  
 “I’m sure you’re lying…But I’ll let it slip. Only this time.”  
  
 “Got it, Yaku-san!”  
  
 Yaku took his time to stare at him a bit more from the doorway, before walking out of the living room, leaving Lev to smile and quietly laugh to himself.  
  
\---  
  
 When the two investigators walked into the department that morning, they were met with a very concerned and nervous Akane. When Yaku asked her what was wrong, she gave him a guilty look and held out a plastic bag for him to take.  
  
 “What’s this?” the investigator asked curiously, looking at the content of the bag. To his surprise, in the plastic bag there was a small, dirty piece of paper. His eyes widened in realization, as he looked back at the secretary. “Is this from the kindergarten murder scene?”  
  
 “I’m really sorry, Yaku-san!” the blonde yelled, bowing down apologetically, “Yesterday, when you told me to bring you everything related to the kindergarten murder, I went to get the box with the evidence and reports, but while walking out of the storage I tripped and the content of the box fell out! I tried to get everything back in order, but I was in such a hurry, I must have missed this! When I went to the storage to lock up yesterday, I saw it under one of the shelves, but before I can give it to you, you were already gone! I’m sorry for not calling you! I must have slowed your work, even though I know how important everything little is to you!”  
  
 “Thank you for telling us, this will really help us.” Yaku turned towards Lev and showed him the piece of paper in the bag. “This is what we’ve been looking for.”  
  
 Lev nodded quickly in understanding, eyes skimming over the paper. It was bigger then the other two, but not by much. It was definitely dirtier too, but that didn’t made the picture over it more smudged. It was in a better shape than the second found one.  
  
 The two investigators quickly walked to the unit’s office, where they settled on a vacant desk with the three pieces of paper they now had. Everyone of their colleagues were out searching the addresses Yaku had sent them the same morning, but if nothing came up, they would have to come back and rethink their strategy. If Yaku and Lev’s investigation went well however, they wouldn’t have to do that.  
  
 “Do you think you can join them correctly?” Yaku asked, once Lev sat down on the chair in front of the desk and sat the pieces of paper before him. They still looked so different from one another, so unable to join and form anything else but a mess. But Lev was sure in himself and was positive he could get a picture if he solved the puzzle right.  
  
 “I’m pretty sure I can, just let me think a moment.” Lev answered and looked at the pieces with concentration.  
  
 Yaku waited for him to gather his thoughts quietly. After a moment, Lev started to turn the pieces around, trying to make one of their sides match another. It was a futile task and Yaku had the feeling that nothing would come out of it. And if he was right, they would again be stuck with nothing. The thought actually scared him, when he thought of the price they were paying now. Crying over a stranger was easy, but saying goodbye to someone you know and take as part of a family was another, completely different thing.  
  
 “I think it’s starting to make sense.” Yaku said after Lev spun one piece in a particular way, joining it with another one of the three. “You see, this line here matches with this one and it makes a curve. Spin the one to the right more to the left.”  
  
 Lev did as he was told, but then frowned and turned it once more. The papers seemed to match now, like two fitting pieces of a puzzle and Lev didn’t dare separate them.  
  
 “It’s small…” he slowly said, more to himself than to Yaku, “It looks like a logo…”  
  
 “The logo of what though?” Lev asked, narrowing his eyes and turning the last piece of paper around the other two, trying to fit it somewhere. “Do you think that we can clear it out with some computer program? Like the paper with the sewer picture?”  
  
 “We’ll have to ask Kunimi about that. We’ll take a picture and give it to him.”  
  
 “How long will that take?”  
  
 “I don’t know…It didn’t take him long with the last picture, maybe he can get it done for a shorter amount of time. The hard part would be identifying the picture afterwords.”  
  
 “What if we don’t have that time?”  
  
 Yaku looked at Lev then. He wanted to say something reassuring or optimistic, but no such words came to his mind. Maybe because Lev was right. What if they had no such time? Who ever told them when their deadline would end?  
  
 In the end Yaku took a deep breath and patted Lev’s shoulder softly. Mostly because he didn’t know what else to do.  
  
 “We’ll find Kenma.” He softly said, voice confident, "But…If something happened…I won’t let you take the blame. I won’t let you feel guilty again. I promise.”  
  
 “Nothing bad will happen, Yaku-san…” Lev slowly said, not looking up at Yaku. “After all, we’re talking about Kenma-san. And he’s important to Kuroo-san. And Kuroo-san’s your friend, so I know that Kenma-san is safe when you’re leading the investigation. You’re the best after all, Yaku-san.”  
  
 Yaku refrained from giving a reply. He looked back at the pieces of paper on the table and squeezed Lev’s shoulder, enough for the other to simply know he was there, with him. After a moment he sighed and left to get a camera.  
  
 After no more than an hour, Kunimi was done with the picture. He had made the lines darker, so the investigators could see only the picture and not the paper beneath. The end result was indeed a logo, but neither Lev nor Yaku could recognize it. At that, Kunimi had suggested another brilliant thing and Yaku swore that he would talk to someone to raise the kid’s salary.  
  
 “I can search it in the database.” He had offhandedly offered, as if it would be no big deal. “It looks like a complicated logo. If so, then it’s gotta belong to some big company or such. If that’s so, then it’ll definitely be in the database.”  
  
 “Kunimi, have I ever told you how sharp your mind is?” Yaku slowly said, amazed at how quick the boy’s mind worked in all the right directions. “Why the hell are you working this?”  
  
 Kunimi blinked once, definitely not expecting a compliment. He shrugged, before looking back at his computer.  
  
 “I guess that means that I should get to work?”  
  
 “You should be working already!”  
  
 This task was proved harder than the last and it definitely took more time to accomplish. At first Kunimi started with the minor or little companies he managed to found, but the logo on the picture matched with none of those. He expanded the search and again got no result. And while he worked, Yaku and Lev continued to speculate over what the logo belonged to. Private companies and agencies were the first on the list, but the logo matched none of them. Then came the logos of companies both knew and saw every day, but that proved useless. They could only wait and hope that the logo was in the database and to their surprise and relief, it really was there.  
  
 “I found a match.” Kunimi said after a moment, “The logo belongs to Ushijima Commercial Company. They’re a pretty big company, with a lot of awards. They’ve been gaining the attention of the press lately, but there are speculations that they might be trading illegal substances and weaponry as well. With one word, they’re pretty famous.”  
  
 “Kunimi, can you check if the company has any storehouses in Narima?” Yaku asked, leaning over Kunimi’s shoulder to observe his work.  
  
 Kunimi nodded slowly.  
  
 “I think I can find them on the map.The company’s pretty big, so I’m guessing they’ll have a lot of storages."  
  
“That’s was my thought as well…”  
  
 Kunimi got to work, while Lev and Yaku looked over his shoulders in anticipation. At some point, Kunimi made them step aside and give him some space, but that was actually necessary. Yaku didn’t like people invading his personal space while he worked either.  
  
 The search took less than expected and soon Lev and Yaku had five addresses in Narima and seven out of it. Yaku wrote them down and thanked Kunimi before he and Lev exited the small office to return to theirs. They called their still working colleagues and gave them the new addresses, hoping that this would prove effective and not just another waste of time. All they had to do now was wait.  
  
\---  
  
 When Kenma came to for the second time since the nightmare had began, he almost felt like throwing up. The smell of blood was heavy in the wet air around him and he felt dizzy. Sweat clung to his skin like a second skin, along with the dirt and grime. Kenma felt like crying in despair. Nothing could possibly get worse.  
  
 He tried to move, but the moment he did, the burning pain which had subsided during his unpleasant sleep returned, sharper than before. This time it climbed all the way to his chest and Kenma barely contained the choked yell, which dreaded to escape from his mouth.  
  
 Kenma left his head fall on the dirty ground again, tears slowly trickling from his eyes and down his dirty cheeks. He tried to take a deep breath, but that hardly helped ease his panic. The situation looked so dawer, he had started to think that he was forgotten and left to die in the dirty in misery. He had never expected his life to end in such a way and despite not having any desire to die just yet, Kenma saw no other way out of his current situation. He was actually ready to accept death if that meant that his suffering would end.  
  
 A sharp noise took Kenma out of his death thoughts and he quickly opened his eyes. He was met with the small beady eyes and curious gaze of a small, gray rat. It sat on its back feet, tail swishing behind it in excitement. It’s long and thing mustaches trembled and its round ears flinched. Kenma scrunched his nose and made another motion to stand, before the pain made itself noticed again. He had never been fond of animals, even though they seemed to like him. Rodents were among the dirtiest, most unpleasant creatures after the bugs that Kenma had ever seen and dying, surrounded by them was not a very good option.  
  
 The gray rat tilted its head like a puppy, as it watched Kenma’s failed tries to stand or at least move further away from it. Its round, yellow eyes glowed in the darkness and traveled over Kenma’s body, making the human shiver unpleasantly. He felt like he was being eaten alive with only a single glare of the animal. The rat inched closer to Kenma, sniffling at the air, no doubt feeling the smell of blood.  
  
 If it was only one, Kenma could let it pass, but when a few more showed up from the darkness around him, their beady eyes glowing hungrily, he felt his skin crawl.  
  
The first rat, which had shown clear interest in Kenma and his intrusion in their rat kingdom, again hopped closer. It sniffed at the little puddle of blood, which had formed beneath Kenma, and he watched with disgust as it liked from it hungrily. The rat again looked at him with its hungry eyes and Kenma shivered, feeling like a fine dish served on a silver tray to the rats.  
  
 Kenma tugged on the handcuffs in m despair, feeling cold sweat trickle down the side of his face, as the dirty, disgusting rats slowly made their way closer to him, like predators. They definitely looked a lot more dangerous and vile than the stereotypical Jerry…  
  
\---  
  
 When Bokuto called Yaku it was already dark outside and Yaku had completely lost his patience. He quickly picked up the phone, hoping to get any kind of useful information.  
  
 “I found him, Yaku-kun!” was the first thing Bokuto said when Yaku picked up. “We got a call from a local neighborhood about some strange man walking around a deserted storehouse! The place originally belongs to Ushijima Commercial Company! I’m on my way there, write down the address.”  
  
 Yaku did so in quite the hurry. In the end he could hardly read what he had written but he memorized itwell enough. He and Lev were off in an instant, hoping not to arrive at the scene too late. They had done all they could, barely sleeping for the past three days and if it turned out that they were late, none of them would forgive them selves. And not Just Yaku or Lev. Bokuto too. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi as well. Because Kuroo had trusted them to find his Kenma and they had promised him that they would bring him back safe and sound. This wasn’t something they were allowed to fail at.  
  
 Yaku was the one driving. Despite what others would think, he had no problem breaking the speed limit when needed and now, when every second was crucial, he had no time to think about such trivial things. Lev, who was sitting on the seat beside him, didn’t even notice his reckless driving.  
  
 The deserted storehouse belonging to UCC was out of Narima, but it wasn’t very far. Yaku managed to get them there in no more than twenty minutes. Of course, to reach that record time, he had to break all speed limits ever set by the government and act like he wasn’t even seeing the street lights on which most of the other drivers were smart enough to stop. Yaku was after all a policeman, a detective as well, he had privileges most people didn’t and right now, he was glad to put them in use.  
  
 When they arrived at the scene, Bokuto was just turning off the engine of his car. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi arrived just a moment later, followed by a few other police cars. Yaku made sure that his weapon was on him before getting out of the car, followed by Lev, and walking towards Bokuto, who was also checking his weapon beside his car.  
  
 “If we’re lucky, the murderer might be inside right now.” Bokuto said, taking off the safety of his gun. He looked almost ready to kill. “I swear, I’m not letting that guy live if he dared hurt Kozume-kun.”  
  
 “Yaku-san!” a squeaky voice yelled behind them and when the two investigators turned to look over their shoulders, they saw Hinata Shouyou running towards them. “Are you sure Kenma’s here!?”  
  
 Yaku took a deep breath, wondering how to answer. He had almost forgotten about the friendly relationships between the policeman and Kenma and how personally Hinata had taken the case. Three days of driving around and doing nothing had gotten Hinata pretty riled up, but it wasn’t only him. Yaku hoped that Kenma really was there, but for the first time since he arrived he began to doubt it.  
  
 “We’re almost positive, shrimp!” Bokuto yelled, patting Hinata’s shoulder a bit too roughly. “And if the guy who took him’s there too, we’ll be showing no mercy!”  
  
 “I want to go in firtst!” Hinata volunteered quickly, turning towards Bokuto.  
  
 “I want to go there too, Yaku-san!” Lev yelled behind Yaku and the investigator turned around sharply to look at him with large eyes.  
  
 “Going in won’t be a good idea if the murderer is there.” Iwaizumi said, walking closer to them with Matsukawa by his side. “We can send in someone to look around first, going in together will be pointless if Kozume isn’t there too.”  
  
 “No way am I sending Lev and Hinata there!” Yaku harshly said.  
  
 “But why?” Hinata asked, eyes wide. Lev’s expression wasn’t any diffirent.  
  
 “Do I need to remind you what happened in the sewer?” Yaku said coldly, looking at Lev. His words seemed to be directed more to him as well. “What if Kenma’s dead in there? What then? What are you going to do then?!”  
  
 Lev stayed silent for a second, looking down at his feet. When he answered, his voice was hushed, almost blending with the loud noise of the police sirens.  
  
 “I’ll take the handcuffs…” were his words and Yaku looked at him as if he had gone mad, eyes widening. “Whatever happens in there…I’ll do my job this time. Whatever I have to do to get to the bottom of this case, I’ll do it! So…the only thing I beg you now, Yaku-san, is for you to trust me! I won’t let you down again!”  
   
 Yaku still wasn’t convinced. He had heard the same words before as well and knew the result. He wasn’t ready to make the same mistake again.  
  
 “He won’t alone this time too.” Hinata softly said from behind Yaku and the investigator looked at him in surprise. “I want to go in too!”  
  
 “Yaku-kun, our time is running. Just let them go!” Bokuto loudly said, irritation lingering in his voice. “We’re right here this time! This isn’t like it was in the sewer!”  
  
 Yaku grit his teeth, thoughts racing. Bokuto was right, this wasn’t the sewer. But in the end, it might turn out worse. Because Lev liked Kenma and knew him. If watching a stranger die took such an emotional tool on him, Yaku didn’t want to imagine what would happen now.  
  
 “If anything happens…Shoot.” He said after a moment, looking up at Lev. “We’ll be with you in seconds, alright?”  
  
 Lev nodded quickly. He was actually a bit surprised at his superior’s words, but decided that whatever happened, he wouldn’t turn down his trust again. If he did, he would personally give up his retirement.  
  
 Both him and Hinata (who definitely showed more professionalism than him when handling the current situation) took out their guns and quickly walked towards the entrance of the storehouse. The construction was large and it’s inside empty. The roof was held up by tall, thin beams. Even though they had opened the large double doors, most of the place remained in darkness. It was mostly empty, save for some boxes, broken glass and other trash, which had gathered over the long that time the storehouse had been left unkempt. There were a few windows, set high on the walls, most of them broken. The pitiful light they let in was hardly enough to cast away the shadows.  
  
 Hinata made a motion for them to move forward and Lev nodded, walking beside him further in the large storehouse. They looked around cautiously, as if the murder might jump out from the shadows in any moment. The sounds from the sirens outside became less loud and sharp the further away from the entrance they walked. Their nerves were strained and the tension between them was evident. Lev almost shot at a rat which had suddenly jumped in front of them from the darkness. Hinata also jumped at his sudden movement, pointing his gun in front of him, finger trembling over the trigger. The two were alone however, excluding the rats running around in the corners. Lev couldn’t believe how many there were, as if the storehouse was their nest.  
  
 A few more steps into the cold storage and suddenly, Lev began to make the outlines of something ahead. A few rats ran around, a few others stood near, sitting on their back feet as if worshiping some rodent god of theirs. Lev walked closer to the place where the rats had gathered, motioning for Hinata to stay. The ginger nodded quickly and stood behind him, pointing his gun at the shadows to their sides.  
  
 Lev felt his heart beat faster, the closer he came to where the rats were. He even kicked a few away from him. He couldn’t help but feel disgusted by the squeaking rodents, even though he was the type to usually let anything unharmful pass. These beings however looked like they crawled out straight from hell, judging by the way the stared at him with small, burning eyes. They were observing him. Lev felt himself shiver.  
  
 The more he neared, the stronger the scent of something sweet and metallic got. Lev hadn’t minded it before, but now it clung to his  
nose unpleasantly. And it wasn’t just the stench. Lev felt his stomach flip and he almost threw up, wasn’t for his self control. There, beside one of the metal beams which held the roof up, the young investigator could make out a human body, surrounded by no less than ten rats, with glowing eyes and big almost as Lev’s hand. Lev raised his gun towards the roof and pulled the trigger. The sudden sharp sound of the shot echoed in the emptiness, startling Hinata and most importantly, the disgusting rodents.  
  
 The rats ran towards their hiding places with loud squeaks and wheezes, while Lev ran towards the figure beside the beam.  
  
 “Kenma-san!” he yelled in fear, kneeling down beside the unconscious Kenma, knees digging in the bloody ground. Hinata was beside him in an instant, as Lev took off the cloth over Kenma’s mouth with trembling fingers.  
  
 “Kenma?! Are you okay?!” the policeman yelled, shaking Kenma’s shoulders. His eyes were wide with fear and his hands shook nervously. “Say something, Kenma!”  
  
 With great relief, the two watched as Kenma’s eyes open and he blinked. At first he might have been a bit disorientated and the way he obviously slipped in an out of consciousness for a few seconds proved how damaged he was. But he was alive. The thing that had happened in the sewer hadn’t repeated and Lev felt his shoulders slump with relief.  
  
 “Are you alright, Kenma?” Hinata asked again, quieter this time, drawing Kenma’s attention towards himself.  
  
 Kenma looked at him with a dazed expression and took a soft, tired breath.  
  
 “Hurts…” he wheezed, throat dry.  
  
 “Where does it hurt?” Lev asked quickly.  
  
 “Everywhere…” Kenma wheezed again, before his eyes closed.  
  
 “Kenma-san!” Lev yelled in worry, as Hinata quickly got up from the bloodied ground.  
  
 “I’ll go get help!” he said, before dashing off towards the exit, leaving Lev alone.  
  
 Lev looked down at Kenma, nudging his shoulder gently and trying to bring him back into conciousness, fearing that he might slip away just like that if he didn’t. He slowly looked over his body for any damage, breath hitching when he saw the large wound on his thigh. He quickly pressed a hand over it, hoping to stop the bleeding, which by then was subsiding on its own. When he pressed down on the wound, he felt Kenma stir, his face contracting in pain and agony. Lev quickly took back his hand and looked at Kenma’s face. The blond’s eyes slowly opened and he took a shuddering breath, looking up at Lev.  
  
 “Lev…” he slowly started, voice hoarse and raspy.

 “Don’t say anything, Kenma-san.” Lev quickly said, trying to sound reassuring. “Help’ll come in a second, just hang on.”  
  
 “No…Listen…” Kenma quietly said, chest heaving as he tried to breath.“Listen…Kuro…He’s going to kill Kuro…”  
  
 “Who’s going to kill Kuroo-san?” Lev asked, eyes widening in surprise and shock.  
  
 Kenma shuddered, breaths coming in short pants as he tried to move again. He looked up at Lev with a pained expression, brows furrowed in concern and worry.  
  
 “He’s going to kill Kuro…That disgusting drug lawyer…"  
  
\---  
  
 The doorbell rang and it made Kuroo’s eyes open sharply. He tried to stand up, but the effort was welcomed with insistend, throbbing pain. He hissed and tried to get up, as the doorbell rang again, the noise  
way too loud in the empty and quiet apartment.  
  
 “I’m coming!” he angrily yelled as the bell rang for the third time in no more than a minute. He couldn’t believe that he had locked the door. But it wasn’t like he was expecting visitors.  
  
 Kuroo rested a hand over his wound, walking out of his room and using the walls for support. He stumbled into the hall and dragged him self towards the front door. He groaned in pain again, turning the lock on the door and opening it without even bothering to look through the peep hole to see who was disturbing his painful and unpleasant sleep.  
  
 When he opened the door, his eyes widened. He had been expecting anyone but the person standing in front of him now.  
  
 “What are you doing here?” he asked in confusion, leaning against the door frame for support.  
  
 “I brought you dinner!” Yukie cheerily said, lifting up a bag with a few food boxes in it. “Bokuto told me to keep an eye on you. I though I could come by.”  
  
 Kuroo knew that, even though they rarely talked lately and weren’t considered great friends or something of the such, whenever Bokuto asked something of her, Shirafuku Yukie would always comply with his wish no matter how bizzare it was. He remembered once, on one of their gatherings, on one hot summer evening, Bokuto had asked her to strip off her top because ‘simply looking at her so dressed made him burn’, and Yukie had did it, looking completely comfortable with the idea, despite being surrounded by filthy men. She wasn’t like Akane, but if Kuroo had to chose, it would be her. Despite always acting so airheaded and careless, Yukie was one of the sharpest minds Kuroo had met and definitely knew how to handle her job. She was everything a man would want in a woman so it was one of the many mysteries of their department why Shirafuku Yukie was still single. Kuroo and Bokuto had talked about it many times and both were positive that if they had met the red haired beauty a few years ago, they wouldn’t think twice before hitting on her.  
  
 “Were you lying down? Did I disturb you?” the secretary asked, suddenly conscious about what Kuroo had been doing before her sudden arrival. “Sorry…”  
  
 “Nah, it’s good…” the investigator slowly said, stepping away from the door to let her in. “Come in, we can have dinner together… You shouldn’t have brought anything, I have enough food.”  
  
 “It’s cool, man! My roommate made way too much food tonight, so I thought about bringing some to you. What did you expect, takeout?”  
  
 “From you? A bit.”  
  
 Yukie laughed and closed the door behind her. She took off her shoes and gracefully walked into the kitchen. Kuroo tried to follow her, but decided against it in the end. His wound was hurting terribly and all he wanted to was to lay down and take one of the pills the doctors prescribed him, for when the pain got too intense. He thought that now was such a time.  
  
 “Hey, Yukie, I’m gonna take a break…” he called from the hall, heading back to his bedroom. “I’m not feeling too okay, sorry.”  
  
 “Don’t sweat it!” Yukie called from the kitchen. “I’m here to watch over you after all! Lay down, I’ll bring dinner in a bit.”  
  
 Kuroo actually felt thankful for her presence now. He couldn’t believe how lonely it was, living alone. But he knew that it wouldn’t last. Kuroo felt his chest tighten painfully, as the thought of never seeing Kenma again hit him like a destructive wave. He sat down on his bed and tried to breathe. That would never happen. Kenma would be back in no time, his colleagues would bring him back to him and instead of Yukie, Kenma would be the one making him dinner. Because Kenma was so scared and concerned for him and couldn’t wait for him to get home so he could care for him… Kuroo gulped down the round pills without water and laid down on his bed with a deep sigh. Just as he did, the doorbell rang again.  
  
 “I’ll get the door!” Yukie called from the kitchen. She didn’t feel like a stranger at Kuroo’s. Just like she didn’t feel like a stranger at Bokuto’s.  
  
 “Thank you.” Kuroo yelled from his room, as Yukie walked out of the kitchen and into the hall, a small smile on her face.  
  
 Having left the door unlocked after entering, Yukie wasted no time in opening it, not bothering with looking through the peep hole, just like Kuroo. It must have been some neighbor, otherwise who would come to see Kuroo this late at night. When the secretary opened the door however, she saw that it wasn’t just a pesky neighbor. Her eyes widened momentarily and she dropped the white towel she had been drying her hands with a moment ago.  
  
 “What are you doing here?” she asked in a hushed voice.  
  
 The person in front of her stepped through the threshold of the aparment and before Yukie knew it, a sharp, burning pain spread through her stomach, all the way up to he ribs. When she looked down, eyes wide in pain and shock, she saw the man in front of her holding the handle of a knife, the blade of which disappeared almost entirely in her stomach. The material of her pink T-shirt slowly began to turn red and Yukie gasped in pain.  
  
 The man in front of her drew back the knife sharply, splashing blood over the white carpet in the hall. Yukie stumbled back a few steps,  
hands coming up to the deep wound. Her knees went weak and she fell on the floor before the man. He didn’t waste any unneeded time in the hall with Yukie. Leaving the door wide open, he slowly walked towards Kuroo’s bedroom door.

 The silence from the hall of course alarmed Kuroo, who was by then ready to give to the calming effect of the strong pills. He groaned and tried to sit up, but he didn’t feel like he had enough strength to. He couldn’t hear anything anymore. Yukie had gone silent. The one ringing the doorbell made no sound. Kuroo wondered what exactly was happening out there.  
  
 “Yukie?” he cautiously called, leaning back against his pillow. “Yo, Yuki?  
  
 What’s going on? Who’s at the door?” He received no answer. The apartment remained silent, as if he was alone again. But that couldn’t have been right. Where did Yukie and the surprise visitor go?  
   
 “Yukie!” Kuroo called again, more urgently this time, but he was again not given a reply.  
  
 This time however, he heard a faint noise. Soft and slow footsteps, walking steadily towards him. Kuroo tried to sit up again, ignoring the pain and sleepiness he felt.  
  
 “Yukie...?” he quietly asked, despite knowing that he wont receive an answer.  
  
 Instead of Yukie, in the doorway of his bedroom, now stood someone who Kuroo despised. Someone with a disgusting grin and evil eyes. Someone he had thought was gone for good from his life. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes narrowed.  
  
 “What are you doing here?” he asked, voice raspy and cold.  
  
 The person before him leaned on the door frame, casually crossing his arms over his chest, lips stretched into a disgusting, smug and mocking grin.  
  
 “Aren’t you happy to see me, kitty cat?” he asked, voice sounding more like a hiss. It made Kuroo clench his jaw, as his eyes narrowed further.  
  
 “I would never be happy to see you And you’re not welcomed in my home.”  
  
 “ _Daishou_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but since it's a chapter away from the end, this is it! ^^ Thank you VivaldiChase and I hope you're alright! I hope you guys like this! I put a lot of heart into it and if it's rushed, I did it so the entire action could be felt better (I hope I did a good job with it). Next chapter is the seaming finale!! ^^ Thank you for all the comments and I hope you continue reading my fics!


	11. The End of the Nightmare

_\---_

_“Are you happy with the way things went, Kuroo?! Was it worth it?!_ ”

\---

The drug lawyer grinned smugly and pushed himself off of the door frame. He hadn’t changed at all, Kuroo figured. He had stayed the same during the few months they hadn’t seen themselves. But Kuroo knew that people like Daishou never changed. The lawyer had made it clear that he didn’t even have the good will to work on changing himself. Because as far as he was concerned, life was going good for him with the way he was now. What if he changed for the better and things stopped making sense? Kuroo pitied him, just as much as he hated him.  
  
 “Why are you here?” the investigator sternly asked, sitting up in his bed despite the burning pain. He couldn’t show any weakness in front of Daishou. “Where’s Yukie?”  
  
 “Oh, you don’t have to worry about her.” Daishou said, grin widening. His hand disappeared behind his back, as he walked closer to Kuroo’s bed with large and slow steps, only to return, taking out a polished gun. Kuroo felt himself gulp quietly, as the lawyer pointed the gun at him with a slow and graceful flick of his wrist. “I think that I made it quite obvious why I’m here. I’m going to kill you Kuroo. And I have no intention of being gracious anymore.”  
  
 “Why are you doing this?” Kuroo asked, searching for a way out of the situation. It was clear Daishou held all the right cards now, but there was no way Kuroo would die by his hand. Not tonight. “Is it because of the time I almost got you in jail? Are you really such a sore loser?!”  
  
 “You ruined my life!” the lawyer yelled, hand gripping the handle of the gun hard to the point of shaking. “I gave you so much…And in the end, when I asked you not to tell, what did you do? You put the cuffs on me and started reciting my rights, as if I was some lowly criminal!”  
  
 “You were! And you still are! You betrayed us! You stole important evidence! If it wasn’t for you, we would have gotten to the bottom of that trafficking net! Have you any idea how many lives you ruined!”  
  
 “What about my life?! What are you going to say about that, mister know-it-all?! After the process was over and I was expelled from work, I was practically on the street! I had no money to pay my rent! By the end of the month they almost kicked me out! Are you happy with the way things went, Kuroo?! Was it worth it?!

 "But you don’t know about that do you? You don’t care do you?!"  
  
 In the next moment, the lawyer threw himself on Kuroo, pushing him back on the bed. His sharp knee dug right into Kuroo’s slowly healing wound and the investigator yelled in pain. Daishou’s fingers wrapped around his neck in seconds, gun long forgotten on the pearl sheets of Kuroo’s bed. Kuroo tried to get away, fingers gripping Daishou’s wrists tightly, but the grip which the lawyer had on him in his fit of anger was way stronger. Daishou had never been the strongest person Kuroo knew. He always looked so thin and fragile, as if a single punch could send him flying. But now, he looked way stronger than Kuroo himself.  
  
 “Ushijima was going to pay me so much!” the lawyer yelled, voice dark and venomous. His eyes were narrowed dangerously, radiating anger and hate, Kuroo could almost taste it in the air between them. “I was going to pay off my debt to Sakusa and then flee somewhere where no one knew me! Start everything from the very bottom! But it just had to be you…You just had to ruin everything like always! I was ready to beg you that night…I was going to do anything…Then why!? Why did you turn me in, you disgusting bastard!?”  
  
 “Because…It wasn’t right…” Kuroo choked out, trying desperately to breath, but the grip Daishou had on him only tightened.  
  
 “You know what else wasn’t right?” Daishou lowly asked, a sickening grip spreading over his pale face, “It wasn’t right to leave me on the street in the hands of both Sakusa and Ushijima! It wasn’t right to turn your ‘friend’ in when he begged you not to! It wasn’t right to fuck around while your boyfriend waited for you at home, was it!? I know so much about you, kitty cat! Everything dirty and vile! What will happen when all of that trash comes out, hmm? What will your friends say?! What will Kozume say?!”  
  
 Kuroo coughed,one hand now clawing at the sheets. His fingers brushed the cold handle of the gun Daishou had taken out earlier, only to throw away in his anger fit. With the little strength Kuroo had left, pushed foreword by the will to live, he grasped the gun’s handle. He raised it from the bed and without even looking where he was pointing it at (he knew it was at Daishou, despite being almost blinded by burning pain and lack of oxygen), pulled the trigger.  
  
 The sharp sound of the shot was almost enough to block Daishou’s yell of surprise and pain. He quickly released Kuroo’s neck and that was enough for the investigator to throw him on the floor. The sharp pain he felt with the quick movement was nothing like the greatest pain Kuroo had felt and when he looked down at his shirt, he saw a slowly spreading dark stain appear on his side. He gasped for breath, holding onto his side with one hand and the gun with the other.  
  
 Daishou groaned from the ground, but the shot wound in his thigh didn’t stop him from standing up. He grabbed the hand in which Kuroo held the gun and tried to wrestle the weapon from him, but that resulted in only another shot. This time the bullet hit the roof above them.  
  
 Kuroo held the gun tightly, so when Daishou tried to pull it away from him, that only resulted in him falling off the bed. He yelled again in  
pain, while Daishou grit his teeth and hissed, as Kuroo’s knee hit his own wound. The investigator dropped the weapon, both hands shooting up to cover his furiously bleeding wound. He felt tears gathering in his eyes and his chest heaved as he tried to breath. Daishou took his momentary weakness to his advantage and, gritting his teeth, lifted his fist to swing it against Kuroo.  
  
 His fist landed directly on Kuroo’s face, making the investigator fall backwards into the bedside table. Before he had the chance to come to his senses, Daishou grabbed the gun and raised it against him again. the lawyer’s hand trembled, his pupils were dilated in anger and his breath came out in short pants.  
  
 “Enough!” he yelled, watching as Kuroo tried to sit up, “I had enough of you! Three bullets weren’t enough to finish you, let’s see how good this one will do the job!”  
  
 Kuroo shut his eyes tightly, waiting to hear the last thing he would ever. He was definitely not expecting that thing to be the loud, shattering noise of glass against the floorboards of m his bedroom. A shot followed, but it didn’t hit him, rather the headboard of the bed. A second later he heard something fall on the floor with a shallow thud and he could almost swear it was a human body.  
  
 Kuroo slowly opened his eyes, coming face to face with a ridiculous, yet astondishing sight. Daishou lay on the floor unconscious, among thousands of small pieces of glass. Behind him stood Lev, cheeks red and chest heaving, as if he had ran a marathon. His hands shook, as he tightly held onto the remains of what had to be the heavy crystal vase Kuroo’s mother had given him and Kenma for their anniversary. Kuroo felt a pang of sadness for the vase. It was too pretty and expensive to be smashed in Daishou’s head.  
  
 Kuroo blinked up at Lev in disbelief, as the other took a deep breath to ease his nerves and stepped over Daishou to offer him a hand.  
  
 "Are you alright, Kuroo-san?” he asked and Kuroo felt himself nod, one hand leaving his burning and bloody side to grasp Lev’s.  
  
 “I think I am…Now at least…”  
  
\---  
  
 From then it was like a cheap action movie. The police occupied Kuroo’s floor in minutes. After them came the medical team (the nurse which helped Kuroo looked like an angel to him in that moment). Daishou came to a moment after Kuroo was lifted on a stretcher and was quickly cuffed by Iwaizumi and Inuoka. He managed to spare Kuroo a last hateful glare before he was taken out. Everything was supposed to end happily, if it wasn’t for the death of Shirafuku Yukie that night. Thankfully, her body was taken out before Bokuto arrived, followed by Yaku and Kenma a few minutes later. Both him and Kuroo learned about her death the next morning when the reports needed to be filled out.  
  
 Yaku and Bokuto came right after Lev, helping Kenma up the stairs to the floor. Despite what Yaku had said, nothing could get the thought of coming home to Kuroo out of Kenma’s head. Even if he was weak and his wound needed a lot more treating than the simple bandaging. Yaku swore that he would make sure that Kenma and Kuroo got to share a room in the hospital, so they could spend every moment together there.  
  
 When the three stepped into the floor, Iwaizumi and Inuoka were just dragging Daishou towards the stairs. When they passed through each other there, Iwaizumi told Yaku that everything was clear. The investigator nodded and, when he felt Kenma stepping more behind him to shield himself from Daishou’s insistent and hateful glare, continued down the hall towards the apartment.  
  
 Lev stood in front of the door, talking to one of the medics. He was more than happy when Bokuto harshly patted his shoulder, almost making him wince, but even more when Yaku told Bokuto to take Kenma inside while he stayed with him.  
  
 Bokuto was more than happy to. He helped Kenma through the threshold of his apartment and through the hall, trying not to mind the blood stained carpet. The medics in Kuroo’s room were ready to lift the stretcher, while the nurse tried to stop the bleeding of his wound  
when the two came in. There was nothing more heartbreaking that the moment when Kenma almost ran, despite his pain, to the place where Kuroo lay on the floor beside their bed and wrapped his thin arms around him, almost not hearing the yelling of the nurse. Despite his own pain and the grunts of discomfort, Kuroo also wrapped his arms securely around Kenma and that’s how the two stayed. The nurse wasn’t pleased, but Bokuto waved her off.  
  
 The procedure was clean and quick. Daishou was arrested for twenty four hours until the process was ready to start. Iwaizumi and Matsukawa were in-charge of his interrogation. But the snake had his tongue-tied and had no intention of saying more than he needed. He was lawyer after all, and one with a long history in the police. He knew all the tricks any of them could try on him and how to go around them. They could only convict him of murder and another attempted one. Of course that was enough to get him in jail for quite awhile, but Yaku was positive they could throw a few more murders in his criminal record. They had no evidence that linked Daishou to the tunnel and sewer murders and could definitely not prove him guilty of the kindergarten one. He didn’t even take responsibility for the assault on Kuroo at the construction site and no one could prove him guilty of that. That didn’t matter. The evidence were enough to get him in jail for good this time and Yaku felt content with the idea.

 The night had been long and stressful. There was work for everyone, but no one seemed to mind spending a few more hours in the department. All that mattered was that the nightmare had ended and despite the few casualties, everything went well.  
  
 After finishing his report that night, Yaku and Lev went to visit Kuroo and Kenma in the hospital where they were admitted for the moment. The visiting hours were over for the day however (they should have guessed, it was already a few minutes past ten) so the two were left strolling through the streets, enjoying the comfortable silence between each other. The soft rain had turned into light snow by the time they made it near Yaku’s neighborhood. Maybe it had become a habit. Walking to Yaku’s apartment and spending the nights there, as if they shared the humble home. No one complained and Yaku was definitely not about to start.  
  
  When the two reached the park near the apartment complex, Lev stopped.  
  
 “Let’s go on a walk?” he offered and despite the cold and snow, Yaku agreed. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to go home yet.  
  
 The two walked through the empty park, side by side, hands buried in their pockets. The passed through couples, holding hands and smiling at each other. Passed by naked trees and tall street lamps. It was different than the last time they had met in the park. There was no tension. They thought only about each other, as they walked in silence, as if they had done this thousands of times and it had now  
become a routine.  
  
 The two soon found a bench, somewhere around the end of the park, where the lane they had been walking on took a smooth turn to the left. Lev offered to sit and Yaku agreed. This time however, the silence between them became uncomfortable. Yaku was so close to Lev, he could feel his warmth. Their breaths turned into little clouds of warmth in the cold air.  
  
 “So…It’s over…” Lev quietly stated, breaking the silence between them. Despite the softness of his normally loud voice, Yaku still flinched when he spoke.  
  
 “Yeah…we’re done.” He quietly said back, looking somewhere ahead of them marveling at the slow fall of the snow. “We’ll have to wait for the process, then we’re done.”  
  
 “Hm.”  
  
 Yaku looked up at Lev from the corner of his eye, only to find him doing the same. The look at each other silently and Yaku suddenly feels out of breath. Lev smiles after a moment, a big and happy smile, which suits him way too much, and that doesn’t help Yaku at all. On  
the cold and wet bench between them, their fingers slowly entwine and neither really knows who made the move first, just like neither really knew who leaned in first. All they know is that Yaku’s the first to actually kiss Lev, while Lev’s other hand is slowly making its way around Yaku’s neck to keep him close.  
  
 Both close their eyes, separating for no more than a second for breath before leaning back in. Everything seems so bright and warm, despite where they are and how cold it was. There was nothing else that mattered in that moment but them selves. Their case was closed, there was no one else to worry about now. And Yaku was glad. He was glad that Lev had been assigned to his unit, glad that he didn’t come to hate him, glad that he himself let him get so close.  
  
 Nothing mattered anymore. Not even the slowly waking up woman, who lay disorientated on the ground near the Koto harbor in the dark. It didn’t matter either when a dark figure helped her cross the little space to the water and helped her take her last breath by throwing her into the dark and cold abyss, while her screams echoed in the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end guys! I know it might seem like it, but we have two more chapters! Then again, they're the epilogues, so maybe we really are done! ^^ and I have so much time till July! Thank you for reading, I hope you give my other works a try! Thank you VivaldiChase! I hope we work together again on other HQ centered fics as well! I'll be happy!


	12. Epilogue 1: Love Bonds That Last

_\---_

_"Relax. It’s over…It’s over now. So relax.”_

_\---_

  
  
Akaashi had to know something was up when Konoha didn’t let him call Bokuto that night. Something had to be wrong, because Konoha didn’t know that he had decided to leave Bokuto. Before he had made that statement, he had always called home, every night, and most of th time in Konoha’s presence. But now, when he decided to call Bokuto and apologize, tell him that everything was a mistake and that he actually loved him, Konoha stopped him.  
  
 “Someone could be listening on us and the last thing I want is for this operation to fail ‘cause of Bokuto.” Was his answer when Akaashi looked at him questioningly. “The operation ends tonight. I don’t want to mess things up when we’re almost done.”  
  
 “Calling Bokuto-san wasn’t a problem before.” Akaashi slowly said, eyes narrowing. “Why is it on now?”  
  
 “I just don’t want to mess things up if someone really is listening on us.” Konoha explained, returning Akaashi’s phone. He didn’t seem like he believed his own words and that made Akaashi even more skeptical.  
  
 “Wait until things are over…To call him, I mean. Sorry. I’m just nervous about tonight.”  
  
 “Something else is the matter, right, Konoha-san? What’s bothering you?”  
  
 Konoha didn’t answer, but Akaashi didn’t press the question further either.  
  
 They were both on the edge of their nerves. It was the end. All would be over in no more than a few hours, after they ruined Terushima Yuuji’s plan on making a great purchase of a new, synthetic drug. One of those that could kill you in a second if you took too much at once. The police had been arranging the operation ever since Akaashi, Konoha and Sarukui showed up to help and to be honest, Konoha was right. One phone call could blow everything up. Their plans and the whole operation. Because if Terushima or someone higher in the ranks of Ushijima than him was listening on them, there would be the question who Bokuto Koutarou was, if they didn’t know h was related to the police already. This wasn’t the time to be apologizing and fixing things. But the reason Akaashi had wanted to do it was because he didn’t know if he would survive till the morning to say everything he wanted to then. He wouldn’t stand it if he died without telling Bokuto that everything was a mistake.  
  
 Their operation began at ten sharp, in a deserted place chosen by Terushima. After Akaashi’s first visit to his lowly bar, the agent had brought Konoha, the supposed friend who was interested in a deal. He offered Terushima a stable price for some pills and powder and the dealer was more than happy when Konoha threw some more fake banknotes, each of one thousand yen, on the glass table where the night before Akaashi had met Terushima. After that they engaged in nightly visits and conversations, Konoha and Akaashi used the closeness to the dealer to learn some more information about where he got the drugs, who Satori Tendou worked for and what kind of drugs they sold. It was hard not to laugh at how quickly Terushima had taken them in his friendly circle and how much he had began to trust them. So much as to give them enough information about Satori to throw him in prison for years (said information was recorded on a little device in Sarukui’s pocket). Terushima even bragged with ease about every illegal activity he frequently engaged into. And even though some times the horrifying details would gross Akaashi and his colleagues out, the three made it to the end of the week and the faithful night in which everything would be put to an end.  
  
 But Akaashi couldn’t relax. Thoughts about Bokuto spun around in his mind like a hurricane and gave him no piece as the three agents were taken to the place chosen by Terushima by a civil police car, driven by sergeant Hatamiya himself, the quiet and nice policeman who had taken them to Misaki Hana the day when they first arrived. Misaki would be on the scene as well, with two armed police squads, ready to help them if anything went astray. That Akaashi feared the most. Because if something happened they would be the first to get injured. And if things go too bad, what if Akaashi lost his life tonight? Who would tell Bokuto that he loved him? Akaashi couldn’t think that way now. He had to stay positive. If he lost his cool now, things might be over before he knew it.  
  
 Another thing that worried him was Konoha. He didn’t look like himself lately either. He would stick closely to him, step between him and Terushima if the dealer got too close, make sure his drink was clean by taking a sip of it first. This wasn’t like him but Akaashi could tell why. His suspicions grew when he snatched his phone from his hand earlier that night. He almost looked hurt that Akaashi chose to call Bokuto rather than have a talk with him about their operation. Whatever it was with him, Akaashi really had no time to ponder on it. Konoha had his problems, just like he had problems of his own. Both should concentrate on them and not get on each other’s nerves. But just as Hatamiya was about to park the car a few meters away from the meeting place with Terushima and his gang, a thought came to the agent’s mind. What if he was the reason for Konoha’s change of heart?  
  
  
 When Hatamiya stopped the car in front of a darkened alley, a bit before the place where they would meet Terushima and his gang, there was someone already waiting for them there. Suzumeda Kaori was a subordinate to the police department who mostly worked undercover, just like Akaashi and his colleagues. At first glance, she looked much like Misaki. She wore civil clothes, her long hair was tied neatly behind her head and her short bangs covered her forehead. Her expressions clearly showed her badly hidden nervousness. The gun holster on the belt of her black pants seemed too heavy for her, but it wasn’t out of place. They were talking about a drug trade –everyone would have a gun, Akaashi wouldn’t be surprised if he saw Terushima show up with two.  
  
 “Misaki-san and a police squad settled down around the area, so if anything goes wrong, we just have to step out and let them do the work.” Suzumeda informed them once they stepped out of the car. “You’re all armed however, right? Just in case.”  
  
“We’re all ready to go.” Sarukui assured, before turning back to Hatamiya, who sat calmly behind the driver’s wheel of his car. “You’re going to stay on guard right?”  
  
 “I’ll be behind your backs the whole time, Sarukui-san.” The officer assured with a small grin. He was confident in his abilities, just like many others. Akaashi thought that it would be a shame if he died. Tonight or in another operation of the sorts.  
  
 “Let’s head to the meeting place. We’re might be late if we waste anymore time.” Konoha said, looking down at his wrist watch.  
  
 “I think it’ll be great if we showed up a few minutes later.” Sarukui quietly added, walking ahead up the dark street.  
  
 “We better not.” Konoha quickly said, catching up to his colleague.  
  
 Akaashi walked beside Suzumeda for a bit, before she walked up ahead. He turned to look at the car, still parked in front of the alley. It would be suspicious if Hatamiya drove away now. He had to wait until they were a few meters ahead to drive towards them and stop on a close enough distance to take action if things went downhill. This wasn't supposed to go downhill though, Akaashi reminded himself. The agent took a deep breath and again tried to catch up to Suzumeda.  
  
 Their meeting place was near one of UCC’s storage houses. It was dark enough so any passerby wouldn’t see them and far enough from the neighborhood houses and inhabited buildings. Terushima has suggested it and he knew how to do his work without catching the eye of the police.  
  
 When the four agents arrived, the dealer and his closest henchmen were already there. Beside their car (a very expensive one, Akaashi noted)were parked three more, no doubt with personal guards of Terushima’s. He wasn’t the most important part of the network, but he definitely deserved protection just as much as a higher up. Akaashi quickly noted their mistake. Terushima had come with a car, but they came by foot. And unlike him, they were only four, while he brought a whole bunch. They definitely looked unprofessional for clients. Akaashi threw Konoha, who was by then walking ahead of the three of them, a glance. His colleague returned it, but unlike him, he didn’t seem worried about it. If anything, he already had a ready little lie to tell Terushima is he needed. That didn’t ease Akaashi’s nerves one bit.  
  
 “You’re just on time!” Terushima loudly said, pushing himself away from his car and walking out of the shadows towards them. “Lovely night isn’t it? There oddly no civilians around as well.”  
  
 “The odds are in our favor then.” Konoha shrugged, walking closer to the dealer, but still keeping his distance. “Well. Let’s get this done. You made me wait longer than I had in mind. One would think that for all of the money I gave you, the service would be faster.”  
  
 Konoha shook his head as if he was disappointed at the slowness with which the dealer operated. His act was almost as perfect as that of a professional actor and sometimes Akaashi envied him. Compared to him or Sarukui, he was a simple beginner. He wished he could work with the same ease they had, but his brain worked on deeper levels and that was his mistake. Thinking about getting noticed, getting caught. That was something that made him stress out and most of the time that was the reason for his badly set act. For him, the job held too much risk not to think every possibility through. In Konoha and Sarukui’s case, they went with the flow and created the perfect false impression.  
  
 Akaashi pushed the unnecessary thoughts away and looked up at the smugly grinning Terushima. He looked pleased with himself, but the agent felt like his expression was hiding something else. That made him frown.  
  
 “I’m sorry for the long wait, but there was a bit of a trouble with your purchase.” He said smoothly and reached into the pocket of his leather jacket. Akaashi and Sarukui stepped closer to Konoha, subconsciously reaching towards the holsters on the back of their belts, but what Terushima took out of his pocket wasn’t a gun, rather the first few stacks of fake money Akaashi and Konoha had pushed at him, hoping he wouldn’t go as far as to see if they really were fake. People like him didn’t think twice when they saw the large numbers on the crisp new banknotes. When he threw them on the ground between himself and the agents, Akaashi knew something was off.  
  
 “Here’s part of your money, as a compensation. But maybe you should take all of them, after all, I may be a drug dealer, but I don’t work with fake money.”  
  
 “What is the meaning of this Tersuhima-san?” Akaashi asked, trying to hold the act of innocence and mock. His mind already worked on making up some lie to hold the attention of the dealer or, in a last case scenario, look for a way to escape the gun fire. “This is really insulting that you…”  
  
 “Oh, shut up already!” Terushima yelled and before the agents knew it, they were held on gun point by Terushima and his unpleasant henchmen. Akaashi heard a small voice in his mind say “I told you so. You had to call Bokuto-san earlier. You’re going to die tonight, and he won’t even know.” Despite being clearly outnumbered, the agents quickly pulled out their own weapons and pointed them towards Terushima. “Do you really think I’m that stupid.” The dealer slowly said, turning the polished gun in is hand, “Do you even wondered why I took so long? Because Satori-san told me what really was going on. But I guess I figured you out the moment I saw you taste the powder I gave you. It wasn’t even my best. I’m sure you would have made the difference between drugs and baking soda though, that’s why I didn’t try giving you that and labeling it as the best in my stock. You really are a lousy agent, I’ll make sure you never make it back to the job again, you rat!”  
  
 Terushima pulled the trigger of his weapon just as Suzumeda did the same, stepping in front of Konoha and Sarukui to aim better, but her bullet ended up hitting Bobata, who stood closest behind Terushima. The dealer dropped his weapon and gripped the bleeding wound on his forearm, while Akaashi fell on his knees beside Konoha, gritting his teeth against the pain in his shoulder where Terushima had shot him.  
  
 “Akaashi!” Konoha yelled, kneeling beside Akaashi. Taken aback by the sudden come back of the agents, Terushima looked back at his friend, then at Suzumeda, raising his gun again.  
  
 “You bitch!” the agent tried to duck down, but when Terushima pressed the trigger, the bullet his her upper tigh, making her yell out in  
pain and fall down on the cold ground, fingers almost touching the stack of money Terushima had thrown at them earlier.  
  
 Akaashi managed to glance up quick enough to see Tersuhima walk forward and grab Suzumeda’s thin arm, tugging her up on her feet. The agent yelled in pain again and Akaashi saw the blood dripping from her wound and onto the gravel on the ground. Terushima turned her so her back was facing his chest, wrapped a hand around her neck and pointed his gun at the side of her head. Sarukui pointed his own gun towards him, ready to shoot the grin off his face if it was needed, but before he could, it was more likely that someone else shot him first.  
  
 “If you shoot, I’ll kill her!” Terushima yelled and neither Akaashi, nor Sarukui or Konoha doubted him. The dealer grinned, happy to take command once again. “It was so fun playing you guys. One would think you really are stupid enough to believe your little plan worked. The moment you showed up, Akaashi Keiji (that’s your real name isn’t it), I knew something was up. I don’t get new comers like you most of the time. At least not such that no one in my bar knows. You shouldn’t have come up to me a few days later, but I don’t fault you. You’re too cocky and impatient, aren’t you?”  
  
 “Put the gun down and let Suzumeda go!” Konoha ordered, slowly getting up. Terushima only clicked his tongue and shook his head, as if he was a very disappointed mother, watching her child talk himself out of a bad mess.  
  
 “None of that, agent.” He chided, “If I let you go, it’ll be similar to walking up a policeman and explaining that I’m part of Japan’s biggest drug dealing network. None of that, no. Accept that you won’t be leaving this place alive. Great thing there really are no passerby  
huh? Works in our favor, doesn’t it?” Terushima grinned again and pressed Suzumeda closer to himself when she started to fight against his hold too much. “Goodbye agents, it was nice making this deal with you.”  
  
 Terushima points his gun towards Akaashi first and the agent feels his blood turn cold, his heart stop beating. He was right. In all honesty, he’s glad that he at least turned out right. This really was his final night and he felt guilty for so many things. All of them resolving around Bokuto. Not telling him everything, keeping secrets from him, playing with his trust. Not calling him earlier. All those thoughts strike him at once and for the first time since he was a child Akaashi felt tears gather in his eyes.  
  
Terushima pressed the trigger and the loud noise from the shot rang loudly in Akaashi’s ears, his own name sounding like static in the background. Then there was Sarukui yelling out Konoha’s name, as the man collapsed in front of Akaashi. The few tears in his eyes slipped down his cheeks, but no more followed.  
  
 “Konoha-san!” he yelled out in worry as Konoha fell foreword into his arms. The back of his jacket was torn, but Akaashi couldn’t see where. All he saw was the quickly spreading red stain and when he touched it with shivering fingers, the warm blood covered his pale skin and, despite having seen way too much than simple blood, Akaashi felt dizzy. Because this wasn’t just some blood, it wasn’t Suzumeda’s blood on the concrete, it was Konoha’s. The blood of his closest colleague. One of the little friends he had. One of the little people he actually considered friends.  
   
 “You son of a…” Began Terushima again, this time angry at how slowly things were going, before lifting his gun and pointing it towards Akaashi. He was settled on ending things tonight.  
  
 Just before he could, a few more shots rang through the still night and the dealer’s men were down in an instant. The tables turned and much to Terushima’s surprise and distaste, he was now surrounded by the Niigata police.  
  
 “Yuuji!” a familiar to Akaashi voice called and Terushima’s eyes actually widened as he looked back. His eyes met with Misaki Hana’s determined glare and most importantly, the gun in her quivering hands. “Let Suzumeda go and drop the gun! On your knees, hands behind your head where I can see them!”  
   
 “Who ever told you that I’ll surrender nicely?” Terushima asked, voice dangerously low, as he pointed his gun at Misaki. “You’re the one who should be on your knees for me!”  
  
 “It’s pointless, Terushima!” Sarukui yelled from his place beside Akaashi. “You’re surrounded!”  
  
 “Put the gun down, Yuuji.” Misaki said again, voice gentle yet stern. “It’s over. You’re over. Lower your gun and surrender before anyone  
else gets hurt.”  
  
 “The only one who’s getting hurt here is you!” Terushima shot back, but Akaashi could see his hand shake, as if the gun in it weighted tons. Misaki narrowed her eyes.  
  
 “You’re not going to shoot. Put the gun down, Yuuji, I’m not repeating myself.”  
  
 Terushima grit his teeth, eyes darting around, searching for a way to escape. But there wasn’t. He was trapped like a mouse pushed in the corner, held on gun point. Things had quickly turned against him and the only end he possibly saw was a long time stay in prison. If not for the drugs (but no one would deny that) then for the shooting at police agents. For the first time in a long while Terushima felt like he had walked the line and it was time to get his head out of the clouds. This time, Satori wasn’t saving him, not were the higher ups.  
  
 Terushima’s hand shook again and for a moment he lowered his gun. Misaki was ready to sigh with relief, taking a step closer to the dealer, but before she could get closer, he raised it up again, this time pointing it at himself.  
  
 “If I can’t shoot you, I’ll shoot my self then!” Misaki’s eyes widened and she ran forward.  
  
 “Yuuji!” she yelled in fear, but before Terushima could pull the trigger and end things for good, Suzumeda stomped as hard as she could on his foot. The dealer yelled at the sudden pain and dropped the agent on the ground. Sarukui reached him before Misaki could and successfully tackled him on the ground. Despite Terushima’s struggling, he managed to get his arms behind his back and hold them there.  
  
 “You made a great mistake…” The agent almost hissed once Terushima lay cursing on the ground beneath him. “You made the mistake to shoot at my colleagues and that’ll cost ‘ya, buddy.”  
  
 The dealer looked at him as good as he could from his current position and tried to glare, but he wasn’t that scary anymore. His subordinates were down and his gun was nowhere in sight.  
  
 Strip a king off his crown and he becomes a peasant.  
  
 

 _Relax_ , he told himself over and over. _Relax. It’s over now. Everything’s over and you’re still alive. That means you should relax_.  
  
 But how could he relax when Konoha wasn’t moving, wasn’t opening his eyes when he called for him or when he gently nudged his shoulder. How could he relax when the blood wasn’t stopping? How could he relax when Konoha was practically dying in his arms?  
  
 A choked gasp brought Akaashi’s attention back on his colleague and he watched as Konoha’s eyes opened just slightly with a mix of fear and happiness in his dark eyes. It obvious he had troubles breathing and every time he tried to, he would choke, warm blood gushing out of his mouth like a fountain and dripping down his chin.  
  
 “Konoha-san? Konoha-san, are you alright?” Akaashi asked, quickly regretting it. It was obvious Konoha wasn’t alright. He couldn’t be  
alright. Despite trying to maintain his natural stoic demeanor, his voice shivered when he spoke. He couldn’t help it. There was just no helping the fear that crawled over him, like millions of tiny ants, with tiny, furry feet, crawling up his back and spine and making him shiver. He never felt so useless, never felt so scared.  
  
 Konoha looked up at him and gave a breathy laugh, coughing afterwards.  
  
 “What’s with that face...?” he said in a hushed voice and Akaashi had to lean down to hear his words. “Did someone die?”  
  
 “This isn’t the time for jokes, Konoha-san!” His outburst only made the other laugh again, or at least try to.  
  
 “Yeah? Anytime’s a time for a joke…If it’s good…”  
  
 “Why did you do it, Konoha-san...? Why did you jump in front of me like that? With all due respect, but you’re such an idiot…”  
  
 Konoha stared at him blankly, breaths coming out in short puffs. If his eyes weren’t open, Akaashi would have thought that he had.died. When he spoke, his voice was again hushed, as if he was telling Akaashi a secret.  
  
 “I’m not sorry…” he slowly drawled, “I’m happy. Because you’re alive. It doesn’t hurt anymore too. As long as you’re fine…”  
  
 “But why?! Why did you do it?!" Akaashi felt his breath stutter, his throat go dry. Konoha only looked at him with a tired smile.  
  
 "So you can call Bokuto later…I’m sorry I stopped you earlier…I felt sorry the moment I did it.” he coughed, but didn’t stop talking. “But I just go so annoyed…There isn’t any real reason to, but I just couldn’t help it…Hearing you talk about Bokuto, watching you call him every night, every time we work together…It’s just so…frustrating, but you were such a good couple, you deserve to be so happy…"  
  
 “I wasn’t going to say this, fearing that I’ll regret it, but…I guess there’s no time to regret anything right?...I only regretted the things I didn’t do…And I don’t want regrets…The truth is that I…I think I loved you, Akaashi…”  
  
 A series of bloody coughs followed and Akaashi’s eyes widened. He wasn’t a.doctor. He had no idea what he could possibly do.  
  
 “Hang in there, Konoha-san.” He said instead, hands reaching over Konoha’s back to press against the bleeding wound. The material of his jaket felt like a wet cloth and Akaashi gulped down the saliva in his mouth, fearing that he might choke on it if he didn’t. “Help will be here soon, you’ll be alright!”  
  
 Konoha looked up at him again. His eyes were clouded with pain, sadness, obvious regret…  
  
 “I’m really glad you’re alright…” he softly said.  
  
 Konoha tried to say something else, but hesitated. His arms relaxed beside his body. A last stream of warm blood slid down his chin, dirtying the skin on his neck and the crisp clean shirt beneath his jacket. A last, short breath escaped through his opened lips. His eyes remained staring somewhere behind Akaashi.  
  
 Through his life, Konoha Akinori had  never regretted anything he had done. Only the things he hadn’t. He wanted to die without any regrets, and that’s how he did…  
  
 Akaashi didn’t look up when Sarukui walked closer to them with slow, deliberate steps. His eyes remained on his blood covered hand, the other still supporting Konoha’s back. Sarukui knelt down with a deep sigh and slowly reached out to gently close his colleague’s eyes. His fingers lingered there for a moment before he stood up.  
  
 “I’m sorry…”  
  
\---  
  
 Everything was over. So he had to relax. Despite the pain in his shoulder, despite the pain in his hear, he had to relax and gulp everything down. This wasn’t like him. Breaking down wasn’t like him.  
  
 Akaashi sat on the curb of the sidewalk, holding his bandaged shoulder. He didn’t want to look up. If he did, he would see the medics slowly getting the stretcher with Konoha’s body in the back of the ambulance. He didn’t want to see that. The first step towards acceptance was denial.  
  
 Akaashi didn’t look up when Misaki approached him slowly and sat down beside him. The two sat in silence, until she sighed softly and looked up at the clouded sky.  
  
 “Suzumeda’s alright.” She softly said, “Yuuji and his gang are will be imprisoned for the following twenty four hours, until we manage to start a process. Things should go smoothly. How’s your shoulder?”  
  
 “I…don’t really feel anything.” Akaashi answered, trying to shrug his shoulders, despite the wound in is right one. “I guess…you and Terushima have some history together?”  
  
 This time the agent looked at Misaki from the corner of his eye and saw her inhale deeply from the cold night air. She had her eyes closed, the soft wind blew through her hair. Akaashi could tell when a woman was beautiful and Misaki Hana definitely fit the description of a beautiful woman.  
  
 “We went in the same high school.” The chief of the Niigata police department began softly after a moment, voice loud enough to be heard above the police sirens. “We were in the same club. Yuuji had always been…There’s no use saying it other words. A delinquent. He always met with the wrong friends, always made the wrong decisions. I, being older, really wanted to help him. He wasn’t that far down the wrong path, I thought that I could get him in the right one. But he was stubborn. Things got worse and after he graduated, I heard that he was arrested for some minor crime. I was already in the academy by then. Yuuji was good! He wasn’t bad, he just…He just had the wrong company. A year ago I decided to find him and talk to him. By then he was already working with Satori. I tried telling him that what he was doing wasn’t good, that it wasn’t worth it. But, needless to say that he didn’t listen. We haven’t talked since then, even though I tried to find him again.”  
  
 “Why did you do all of that?...He didn’t want help, he didn’t want you to get him out of the hole he dug on his own. Why did you still do it?”  
  
 “Because it’s my job…That’s what I do…And…It’s different when the one throwing his life away is someone you know, someone with who you spend almost every day in high school.”  
  
 Akaashi looked down at the dirty concrete of the street again, while Misaki shook her head and stood up.  
  
 “I guess I’m way too soft for this job…” she sighed, making Akaashi shake his head.  
  
 “You’re the most suited person for it that I know, Misaki-san.”  
  
 Misaki sighed again, but didn’t smile. She leaned down and softly squeezed his good shoulder.  
  
 “I’m sorry for Konoha.” She quietly said. “He was my colleague as well.”  
  
 Akaashi didn’t answer. Misaki again stood up and walked away, leaving him alone. This time the agent really relaxed. He took a deep breath and looked up at the dark, clouded sky. He exhaled, then inhaled again. For the first time in a while, he felt glad to be alive.  
  
\---  
  
 It felt strange, entering the hotel room which he had exited hours ago with Konoha by his side. It felt strange seeing his colleague’s belongings scattered around. It felt odd not hearing his jokes, not listening to his stupid and dry jokes. Akaashi wasn’t used to returning after a successful operation without Konoha by his side. The same Konoha who had loved him all this time without Akaashi knowing. The mere thought of that made the agent’s hands shake, made his breath catch in his dry throat. The moment he entered the hotel room alone, Akaashi took his phone and dialed the only number he had ever memorized.  
  
 It was already morning, even though the sun was nowhere near rising. Akaashi wouldn’t be surprised if Bokuto didn’t pick up at all. But he hoped he did. He hoped he could hear his voice, even for a moment. He never thought that he would need something so bad in his life. He sat on the little couch in the room, waiting for Bokuto to pick up. The thought that Bokuto wouldn’t bother to pick up at all after seeing his name on the screen of his phone made Akaashi shiver, but that was the most likely thing that could happen right now. After all, he had hurt him so bad, he didn’t have the right to call him and apologize.  
  
 Just as he was about to close the phone and give up, Akaashi heard Bokuto’s raspy voice call his name in confusion. He almost dropped his phone then.  
  
 “Bokuto-san…” he softly said, “Koutarou…”  
  
 “What do you want?” Bokuto asked and Akaashi could tell he was mad and deeply offended. He felt the words catch in his throat again, as he tried to speak.  
  
 “I’m sorry, Bokuto-san.” He choked out, feeling hot tears gather in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have told you all those things! Please, please forgive me, I’m so sorry…Koutarou, please, I…”  
  
“Keiji.” Akaashi quickly stopped at the sound of his name and rubbed his reddening eyes. “Stop. Just stop and take a deep breath alright?  Did something happen?”  
  
 Akaashi’s heart clenched painfully. Even after all he had done, Bokuto was still concerned about him. He leaned back against the white couch and took a deep breath to calm himself.  
  
 “A lot of things happened, Bokuto-san…But before I tell you…Please, tell me you forgive me…”  
  
 “You’re so stupid, Keiji. I never had anything to forgive you for. I was never mad. So, tell me what happened?”  
  
 Akaashi took another deep breath and actually smiled. Despite everything, he smiled.  
  
 He was a good couple with Bokuto. They were a good couple, just like Konoha had said. And just like Konoha, Akaashi wanted to live without regrets.  
  
 Everything was over now. So Akaashi Keiji relaxed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to have settled Akaashi and Bokuto's love life before ending this. I felt a huge rock fall from my heart...Only to be replaced by a bigger one o-o To all of you who read the HQ manga...Daishou was actually a nice guy...Omg...I went so wrong with my thoughts of him...What have I done! I'm just going to go and die in a corner here!  
> PS. This is the most intense chapter so far, you tell me if I am wrong. Also, this chapter contains a quote from Nakajima Atsushi (not the character from BSD but the actual author xD ) -> "Through my life I have never regretted anything I have done. Only the things I didn't do. I want no regrets", this isn't the original quote, but it goes along these lines and I found it fitting for the scene.


	13. Epilogue

\---

" _...somewhere in the opposite side of the apartment, a door creaked open…_ "

The judge made a motion for everyone in the courtroom to keep silent as he told the reporter beside him what to type. His words were slow and audible, but the noise the typing machine made every time the reporter pressed the keys was maddening. Normally, Oikawa Toru had no problems with it, but he usually spoke while the reporter typed and didn’t have to listen to the sound behind his voice.

 Once the reporter wad done, the judge gave Oikawa the word again. The lawyer cleared his throat, using the time he bought him self to look over at Daishou, who sat beside his attorney. His expression showed boredom and annoyance. At first Oikawa had thought that Daishou would want to represent him self, but was left surprised when he walked into the courtroom accompanied by a beautiful woman, he was left surprised. Of course, he took any other lawyer who didn’t work for his client as a rival, be it a woman. The same morning before the process began Oikawa had assured Kuroo that Daishou wouldn’t slip away without a stay in jail this time. He took the case personally and so far in his career, no case he ever took personally was lost. Daishou him self however was a splendid lawyer and the woman who represented him now proved problematic. Oikawa couldn’t help but be a little frightened.

 “Your honor, I really don’t know what else there is to say about this case.” He confidently said, looking behind him self to try and spot Iwaizumi, who sat on a bench behind those of the jury. When the officer gave him the thumbs up, Oikawa grinned and turned towards the judge again. He worked best when he knew he had spectators different than his client, someone to applaud his success. So far in his career, Kozume Kenma was the quietest client he ever represented, there for a little help from the public was in order.

 “We need only a quick look over the evidence so far to prove Daishou Suguru guilty.” He continued, “The lowest deed in his crime chain is kidnapping my client. I won’t even turn towards his criminal past. Or if I even should, then maybe I have to point out his history in the police department’s investigation unit, where he served as a mole for the local drug trading system ran by…”

 “Your honor, this has nothing to do with the case at hand.” Daishou’s lawyer quickly interrupted Oikawa’s speech and the judge actually nodded in agreement.

 “Oikawa-san, please return to the current case.” He coldly reminded and Oikawa nodded.

 “Of course, your honor. I really am just running my mouth right now actually. Aside from kidnapping my client, Daishou’s also suspected of assault against a police officer. As we already said, the first time such an assault happens, said police officer almost looses his life, but my colleague here was thoughtful enough to call some witnesses…” Oikawa looked at the woman beside Daishou from the corner of his eye and proved his suspicions right. She was indeed glaring at him. “But…There are no witnesses to prove that Daishou wasn’t in already mentioned police officer’s apartment on the night of October tenth. There is no witness to prove that Daishou-san didn’t stab the unit’s secretary, Shirofuku Yukie, resulting in her later death, and there is certainly no witness who can prove that Daishou-san didn’t try to shoot the police officer he already tried to kill. His plan however backfired when the officer tried to fight back and won enough time for his colleagues to come and take Daishou into custody. I am deeply sorry if my next words insult you, your honor, but I’m really wondering how, considering all of these evidence, including the fingerprints found on both the knife with which Shirofuku-san was stabbed and the ones found in the storehouse where my client was kept, this process managed to continue…” he looked at his wrist watch for effect, “…More than fifty minutes straight. It _has_ to be painfully obvious that this man, who calls him self a lawyer, is guilty. If the beautiful lady here can prove me wrong, I give her the word to do so.”

 Oikawa sat back down on his chair beside Kenma’s and ran a hand through his hair. The pointlessness of the current process managed to irritate him. Of course he, as a lawyer, believed that everyone had the right to be protected in court, but it was obvious Daishou Suguru was guilty and prone to crime. What more did the judge need? Or, perhaps, what else could his lawyer say to lower his verdict?

 “Is there anything else you can say?” asked the judge, turning towards Daishou (who still managed to look disinterested) and his lawyer. Oikawa also looked at her, loosening his black tie. Just as he suspected again, the woman had nothing more to say. As much as it was obvious she wanted to protect her client, nothing could change the facts.

 “I have nothing more to say, your honor.” She answered and Oikawa allowed him self a small smug smile, looking right at Kenma who sighed softly.

 “If no one has anything else to say, I’m dismissing the court.” The judge informed and reached for his hammer. “The sentence will be declared in two o’clock sharp.”

 The judge hit his hammer on the round wooden platform to his left and everyone stood up from their spots. Oikawa helped Kenma up and watched as two policemen came to take Daishou back in custody and again grinned. He never felt a bigger winner than he did now.

 

Outside of the courtroom waited Yaku and Matsukawa. As much as he wanted to come, Kuroo still couldn’t move around too much (doctor’s orders) and considering his healing wounds, it was better if he stayed home. Yaku, Matsukawa and Iwaizumi, who had been working on the murder case in which Daishou was an only suspect had to be there for that process, which would begin after Daishou was successfully proven guilty of assault against a policeman and kidnap.

 “How did it go?” was the first thing Yaku asked, standing up from the bench he had been sitting on and walking closer to Kenma and the lawyer. Iwaizumi was following behind them.

 “You can rest assure!” Oikawa cheerfully said, already confident in the positive outcome of the process. “Everything was so obvious that the judge won’t have to think twice before proving Daishou guilty. But…Of course, there was no room for doubt. My amazing speech did all the good work.”

 “In the end, the judge dismissed everyone because he couldn’t stand your terrible voice any longer.” Iwaizumi said from behind him, shaking his head. “That’s why he kept giving Daishou’s lawyer the word.”

 “That’s not true, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa said in resentment, turning towards Iwaizumi with such a look, as if he had said the most outrageous thing. “But how can you understand the struggles of a lawyer? I should have known.”

 Oikawa saw Iwaizumi’s eye twitch and couldn’t help but laugh at his expression.

 Beside him, Yaku sighed in relief.

 “That’s great.” He said in relief, “At least this is settled. I’m sure we can prove him guilty of the murders too.”

 “You better watch out for his lawyer though.” Oikawa told him, his laughter dying down. “She calls in too many witnesses. They’re enough to prove Daishou innocent.”

 “We won’t let him slip the same way as he did last time.” Matsukawa said, crossing his arms over his chest. “No witnesses will get him out of jail this time.”

\---

When Yaku walked out of the courthouse the same evening, after the second process against Daishou and the murders was overlooked, Lev was waiting for him in his car. It was already dark, but it wasn’t snowing. Yaku said his goodbyes with Iwaizumi and Matsukawa (who would go home together), before walking down the street towards the place where Lev had parked. He really wasn’t expecting him and right now didn’t quite know if he was ready to deal with him. The court was dismissed before the judge could get to an actual sentence and the case was supposed to be overlooked the week after. That was something which had left Yaku irritated and angry.

 “Thanks for picking me up.” He said, climbing into the car and closing the door. Lev looked at him with a smile, before reaching towards the key to start the car.

 “Anytime, Yaku-san! So, how did it go?”

 “Terrible.” The investigator muttered, leaning back into the seat. “The case will be overlooked. But Daishou has a good lawyer. She keeps stalling for time. Oikawa said she’ll be a problem. They proved him guilty of murder attempt however. He’ll spend a few years behind bars.”

 “I really hope they prove him guilty of the other murders though…”

 “Me too, but the possibilities they wont are big.”

 Yaku sighed deeply. If they really proved Daishou innocent of the murders, that would be the most frustrating experience in his life. He couldn’t believe that they would let a murderer walk the streets again. Perhaps he would start his lawyer business again? Maybe return to his illegal hobbies? What would happen if he tried to kill Kuroo again?

 The two investigators didn’t speak until Lev stopped the car at a red light.

 “Yaku-san, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” He softly started and Yaku groaned.

 “Make it quick. I’m really not in a good mood, Lev. Sorry in advance if I’m harsh.”

 “Of course! It’s just…I wanted to ask you about Kuroo-san’s relationship with Daishou?...Sure, he was the reason the suspended him from work but…Surely that can’t be the reason he hates him to the point of wanting to kill him and Kenma-san!”

 The question caught Yaku off guard. He him self never really thought about it in depth. The reason for him was simple. _Revenge_. But now, he wondered if there was anything deeper than that? Actually, Kuroo had given him the answer the day they admitted him in hospital again, after Daishou was arrested.

 “It’s my fault for this, just as much as it’s Daishou’s.” he had said the next day, when Yaku went to visit him. He had quickly tried to tell Kuroo that it wasn’t his fault that Daishou had taken everything so personally, buy Kuroo knew otherwise. He had shaken his head and motioned for Yaku to keep quiet. “It’s my fault too, okay! Listen, Yakkun…You know that I’ve never made serious mistakes and never really cared for regrets…But I want to tell you something not even Bokuto knows. Promise me you won’t tell anyone, alright?” he had promised, just like any good friend would. Kuroo had looked at his hands before continuing, “There’s a reason…Me and Daishou took everything so personally…There’s a reason, Yakkun.”

 “There really is a reason, Lev.” He found him self softly saying, as his mind exited the memory of that strangely warm day he had went to visit Kuroo in the hospital.

 “Then what is it?” Lev asked with curiosity, again starting the car as the light turned green.

 Yaku took a deep breath. He couldn’t tell Lev everything Kuroo told him. After all, that was supposed to be a secret only he knew. He didn’t want to disappoint Kuroo. Not to mention that Lev had a big mouth, which Yaku didn’t quite trusted yet.

 “These are just my speculations but…I think…They might have had a relationship. Kuroo and Daishou.”

 “No way!” Lev exclaimed, eyes widening, but not leaving the road ahead. One could never be too careful when driving.

 “Those are just my speculations of course. I don’t know the real reason. But…There was a time when Kuroo and Kenma had a really bad fight. He moved to live with Bokuto for a while. I’m guessing that’s when it happened. I supposed it was nothing more than a one night stand, just some release of steam, a stress reliever. They might have done it a few more times after, but I doubt it was anything serious after Kuroo and Kenma sorted things out.”

 “But why did Daishou took it so seriously, when there was nothing behind it?...”

 “That’s the point. You know, Daishou might not look like it, but he was always…How do I say it…Behind the mask he wore, he was always very emotional. I’m guessing the real problem really came from him. He must have grown too attached to Kuroo at some point. Then, maybe, after Kuroo caught him with his hands in the cookie jar, he tried to use their relationship to manipulate him…But since it meant nothing to Kuroo, he wasn’t fooled.”

 “So Kuroo-san is guilty too?” Lev’s voice had gotten quiet. Yaku couldn’t help but nod.

 “Maybe he felt something towards Daishou too, but I really can’t speculate further. The real answer will forever remain known to only them.” Yaku himself doubted that there was any real answer behind it, especially after he had heard Kuroo’s own confession in the hospital. But, the human heart was an ocean of secrets and emotions. He was still fighting to understand his own, what went for those of others?

 “But then why did Daishou have to kill those other people?” the question Lev asked was indeed needed and rational. It took Yaku a few minutes to formulate an answer.

 “I suppose…He needed to let out some steam?...” he said slowly. He wasn’t happy with the way his words sounded more like a question rather than an answer. But Lev’s question was one he couldn’t answer. He could speculate, but couldn’t answer. He knew Daishou was the murderer, but if Kuroo was his target all along, why were the other victims needed? How had he hidden his real murderous identity in his time in the unit? It didn’t make sense. Daishou wasn’t a psychopath. He was rational, cunning. He never did anything which wasn’t in his favor, so why?

 “Yaku-san?” Lev’s soft voice took him out of his thoughts and Yaku looked at him. Lev’s expression was one of worry. They had again stopped at a red light.

 “I really don’t know Lev.” He said, turning to look out of the window again. “Daishou didn’t tell Iwaizumi and Matsukawa. Only he knows now…”

 “I really don’t want to know, actually…”

 Lev’s question haunted Yaku’s mind all the way to his apartment. His irritation and anger had made way to the feeling that he had made a grave mistake, somewhere, somehow in the investigation. That night he made Lev stay. Made him stay so he could forget those thoughts for only a night.

 Lev was more than happy to help.

 ---

 Despite what they promised them selves in the day of the process, Daishou’s lawyer really did call enough witness to prove him innocent of the series of murders Yaku and the unit had been investigating. In the end he turned out guilty only of the second assault against Kuroo and the kidnapping of Kenma. For that he was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison, with the possibility of appeal after the first three years. That was definitely not enough punishment for what he did and the unit took it as their personal loss. Daishou’s expression couldn’t show more happiness and smugness, when he looked at Yaku as he was being taken away. _Two years_ , his narrowed eyes said. _Two years and I’ll be out for good behavior. You just wait_.

 Two years were two years however. Two years in which no one had to fear about their thrown behind bars enemy.

 A month later Kuroo returned to work. During that time the unit faced no other murder case, causing them to believe that Daishou really was the murderer they were looking for. That however meant that he had started killing during his time in the unit and that was something which caused more questions. Questions which Yaku couldn’t answer, equal to that of Lev, asked in his car while driving towards Yaku’s apartment that night after the process.

 The unit slowly regained its calmness. Just like in the beginning of the entire mess, the only interesting things which occurred were the tons of paperwork and the occasional speeding tickets Yamamoto would receive (eventually that stopped as well, but not because he decided to drive slower). Two weeks before Christmas, Shibayama received a promotion. A week after that Akane decorated everything with mistletoe and no one was really surprised when one morning Yaku and Lev walked under it together and Lev leaned down to kiss him - strangely enough for Kuroo, who was standing beside Akane’s desk with a cup of coffee, staring at the scene with wide eyes – receiving a kiss in return.

 Two days before Christmas Akaashi came to pick Bokuto up from work, while Yaku and Lev went out earlier.

 “We still have some more unpacking to do!” Lev explained with excitement, while he waited for Yaku in front of the unit’s office. “And tomorrow, my sister invited us to a Christmas dinner!”

 “That’s great!” Inuoka exclaimed, in equal happiness for his colleague, “So that’s the dinner Yamamoto-chan has been talking all weak about?”

 “Yup! Akane-chan’s invited too!”

 When Yaku walked out of the office, Lev quickly walked towards him and both left the department together. A few weeks ago when Lev had asked Yaku if he wanted to move in with him, to a different, new apartment, the investigator was a bit skeptical. But it didn’t take much for him to rethink the idea. In the end, he used his savings (the same he was saving for an early retirement) to buy a humble apartment near the center of Narima. The money he had saved for him self didn’t matter anymore. All he wanted was to give them for assuring his and Lev’s calm life together.

 Moving out of his apartment took no more than a week. He packed everything but the furniture (the one they were moving into was already furnished) and Lev helped him move the boxes. Two days before their first Christmas together they were already finished with unpacking and settling down in their new home.

 The apartment was a bit bigger than Yaku’s old one. The rooms were set in almost the same way as well, but the furniture was a lot more modern than Yaku’s humble ones (he didn’t like wasting money on unneeded things). Everything looked a lot fresher than his last apartment.

 The same night after disposing of the last cardboard box, now empty of his belongings, Yaku sat down on the white leather couch in the living room. He turned on the TV, waiting for the news. Behind him, in the kitchen box, Lev was preparing their dinner. Neither of them had had the time to actually cook (Lev couldn’t), so they had settled down for take out for the past week. Once Lev was ready emptying the boxes with ready food in two plates, he walked out of the kitchen and settled beside Yaku on the couch, leaving the plates on the glass table in front of them. He leaned back against the couch and sighed deeply in content.

 “We’re finally done.” He said through the sigh and Yaku nodded with a soft hum, reaching out to take his plate and the chopsticks Lev had left on the table beside the two plates.

 “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” He said, leaning against the couch and crossing his legs.

 “Don’t I get a reword for that?” Lev whined, just as Yaku was about to take first bite of his salmon. He looked at Lev, food halfway lifted to his opened mouth and raised a brow. “For going to order dinner, then picking it up and setting the table!”

 “I can set a table better with my feet, Lev.” Yaku said, trying to look serious, but the grin slowly spreading on his face ruined his image. “Fine, what do you want?”

 Lev grinned and leaned closer to Yaku who sighed and left his plate on the table again.

 “You’re such a baby…”

 He leaned up slowly, until their lips met. The memory of the winter night a few months ago, which now looked so far away, came to him through the dusty corners of his mind. The day when everything had ended, only to give a start to their relationship. That night, when the first snow fell over Tokyo, when they had kissed just like now.

 Yaku heard Lev sigh softly against his lips and wrap his arms around his waist. He smiled and slowly pulled away, flicking Lev’s forehead for good measure.

 “Was this all?” he whined, as Yaku took his plate from the table again, taking a big bite before again looking at Lev.

 “You gotta work more than just get takeout for that.” He said with a soft shrug. Lev tried to look miserable for a moment, but when he saw it wasn’t going to work, he took his plate and chopsticks from the table, leaning back against the couch as well.

 They didn’t talk for a moment. Only watched the TV absently and chewed their food. Yaku really couldn’t understand how he could live his life so far without the calmness he had now. The feeling of fulfillment and happiness. He could certainly get used to it.

 After the commercials began, Lev turned towards Yaku, his plate still half full. That was surprising, considering his appetite.

 “What is it?” Yaku asked, looking up from the plate to Lev. “Don’t tell me you’re not hungry?”

 “No, it just…” Lev muttered, looking back at the TV in front of them again. “I’ve been thinking about it…I mean, it’s stupid, I know, but I’ve been thinking about the case…”

 “What case?” Yaku asked, raising a brow. “We haven’t gotten one in a while.”

 “I’m talking about the last one! You know…About Hanaoka-san…I thought about it yesterday before bed…”

 “ _That’s_ what you think about while I’m lying beside you?” Yaku asked, trying to seem offended. Lev was a bit taken aback by his sudden question and looked like he was ready to explain him self before Yaku stopped him. “I’m kidding. But why would you think about that?”

 “Well…” Lev started again, leaning back against the couch. “I just remembered how she was the first person to appear in the kindergarten murder scene…Then we thought that the murderer is actually after her, because maybe she had seen him or something…”

 “What’s your point?”

 “My point is…Judging by what we read, Hanaoka-san didn’t see the murderer. So, if Daishou really wasn’t the murderer…And if the real one goes after the people who show up first on the crime scenes…I wonder when he’ll show up again…”

 “Lev, I understood your point.” 

 Lev looked at Yaku and blinked. The investigator left his plate on the table and turned to face him. He looked calm, unlike the first time Lev had met him. Much like the moment they shared in the hospital, while waiting for the friendly nurse Nakano to prepare the syringe, Yaku reached up and ruffled his hair, almost like he was a child.

 “Don’t think about such stuff.” He softly said, trying to sound reassuring, just like in the hospital. “If you think that someone’s going to come and kill you, you gotta be really stupid.”

 “But that’s just a possibility!”

 “That came to your mind right before you fell asleep? Lev, your ideas are stupid when you’re awake, even more when your about to fall asleep.” He leaned up to kiss him with the same softness and reassurance his voice held. “It’s Christmas in two days. Let’s not ruin our holyday.”

 Lev nodded quickly and smiled at how motherly Yaku could act sometimes. Of course, saying that now was out of the question. Both of them took their plates again, ready to finish their dinner. Yaku was right, he always was. No such possibilities could exist, because there was no doubt who the real murderer was in this case. And that murderer was now behind bars and wouldn’t come out for a while.

 Still, the thought made Lev wonder. Made him feel cautious. Because nothing was certain in their work. The possibilities were so many. One of them was surely that Daishou Suguru, the drug lawyer, wasn’t the person behind the three murders of the series they investigated and that the real criminal was somewhere out there, planning his next crime.

 That night, when both of them went to bed, making sure to lock the door and turn off every little light, Lev stayed awake long after Yaku fell asleep. He couldn’t keep his eyes closed. He couldn’t stop imagining the creaking of floorboards and slowly opening doors. Couldn’t help but remember screams of pain and agony echoing in dark tunnels, engulfed in hot steam and drowned in boiling water and industrial gravel.

 When he finally managed to keep his eyes closed long enough for the sleep to creep over him, somewhere in the opposite side of the apartment, a door creaked open…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...This is it. The first thing I actually finish...I really understand now that this was actually pretty bad, plot wise, but I'm still proud of how many likes it got. I should have thought more about the plot, more than I did that is. But I'm glad it's done. Now I can continue with my next work and I would be happy if my regular readers give it a try as well! It'll be a little apology for Daishou as well, because I just now realized that he wasn't as bad as he was first shown to be. I have the feeling that he and Oikawa kind of go with the saying "The result justifies the means". They're not necessarily bad, but while chasing their goals tend to give a false idea of them selves. I will be working with both in the future! Thank you guys for reading this and I hope you aren't disappointed! I thank VivaldiChase (and sorry for not waiting until you checked the draft to this, I just had to publish it!) and Cyan475 (sorry for losing contact with you in the end!) for being my beta readers and I hope we can work together in the future as well!   
>  I actually might write a sequel to this! But it'll definitely happen somewhere around the release of HQ season 3! Wait for it if you like, but I recommend the other fics I'll be working on in the summer!  
>  Thanks for reading this and see ya!

**Author's Note:**

> So, I finally decided to write what makes me happy. Looks like this makes me happy! I would love if you left me some reviews, that is really helpful and will make me write more and faster if you really do like it! This work contains all my favorite ships and characters, put in a setting which makes me giddy and excited! Please comment and if you liked it, stay tune for more! ;)


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